UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local):

Colombia's Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes is urging the international community to back an end to what he calls "the usurpation of power" by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and support a transition to free elections led by self-declared interim president Juan Guaido.

Holmes told the U.N. Security Council on Saturday that "the dictatorship in Venezuela has emerged as a threat to peace and security and stability in the region." He said it's also "as being an affront to international law, and in particular to inter-American law and rights."

Holmes said Colombia also came to the council "to ask the international community to demand that the life and well-being of Juan Guaido is upheld" — as well as those of all "who fight for democracy."

Holmes said Colombia is seeking international support for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Venezuela, as well as backing calls by several countries for the International Criminal Court to investigate incidents in Venezuela.

He said it also wants to support "measures to ensure protection for assets and goods confiscated by the dictatorship and lost to corruption."

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza is dismissing demands by European countries for President Nicolas Maduro to call new elections in eight days. He says the call is "almost childlike" and adds that the country "will not allow anyone to impose on us any decision or order."

Leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Belgium issued statements Saturday saying they will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's president if Maduro doesn't call a new vote for president in eight days

Arreaza asked the U.N. Security Council where Venezuela's constitution allows an individual to proclaim himself president — as National Assembly president Guaido did on Wednesday.

"Show me! Show me!," Arreaza said. "The name of the president is President Maduro."

Guaido was quickly recognized as the country's leader by U.S. President Donald Trump and others, who say the constitution allows the congressional leader to become president when that post is vacant.

The U.N.'s political chief says there are differing views on what the future should hold for Venezuela but the goal is "a political solution that will allow the country's citizens to enjoy peace, prosperity and all their human rights."

Rosemary DiCarlo reiterated U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call on all parties to commit to holding an "inclusive and credible political dialogue to address the protracted crisis in the country" and his offer to help resolve the crisis.

The U.N. undersecretary-general for political and peace-building affairs painted a grim picture of the impact of the protracted crisis in Venezuela to the Security Council on Saturday. Di Carlos said it has created "high levels of political polarization, growing humanitarian needs and serious human rights concerns.

She says "the economic situation in the country has become dire," pointing to the International Monetary Fund's report that inflation hit 1.37 million percent last year and real GDP in 2019 is projected to drop by 18 percent.

DiCarlo said "nearly all 30 million Venezuelans are affected by hyperinflation and a collapse of real salaries; shortages of food, medicine and basic supplies; (and) deterioration of health and education services."

Venezuela's government is rejecting demands by European nations that it quickly call new presidential elections.

Ruling party chief Diosdado Cabello said Saturday that leaders like Spain's Pedro Sanchez should think twice before lecturing Venezuela on democracy.

Sanchez became prime minister after his predecessor lost a no-confidence vote amid a corruption scandal in his party, though the former prime minister himself was never charged.

In Cabello's words, "Who elected him?"

He told red-shirted supporters at a rally in Cojedes state that "Nobody can come and give us orders."

The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Saturday it will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezeula's leader if the government doesn't announce new elections within the coming days.

Earlier Saturday, France, Germany, Britain and Spain set an eight-day deadline for calling elections for recognizing Guaido's leadership.

It's "Play Ball!" for Venezuela's besieged socialist government. It wants to go ahead with an international baseball tournament despite safety concerns stemming from anti-government unrest that has roiled the nation in the past week.

On Saturday, Sports Minister Pedro Infante said the government can guarantee security for the teams from five countries that have signed up to participate in the Caribbean Series, which is set to start Feb. 2 in the central city of Barquisimeto.

Major League Baseball has already recommended in the "strongest terms" that players and staff not travel to Venezuela for the tournament.

The Caribbean Professional Baseball Leagues Confederation has yet to announce whether the tournament will go ahead in Venezuela or perhaps in another venue. Venezuela was also supposed to host the tournament in 2018 but it was moved to Mexico over fears of unrest.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia is accusing the United States of attempting "to engineer a coup d'etat" in Venezuela. And he's demanding to know whether the Trump administration "is ready to use military force" against President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Nebenzia told the U.N. Security Council Saturday that Venezuela does not pose a threat to international peace and security and should not be on its agenda.

In his words, "If anything does represent a threat to peace, it is the shameless and aggressive actions of the United States and their allies in the ouster of the legitimate elected present of Venezuela."

Nebenzia said "extremist opponents of the legitimate government" led by Maduro have failed to defeat him and "have chosen maximum confrontation" including the artificial creation of a parallel government.

He added, "We strongly oppose those who are pushing the Venezuelan society to the edge of a bloodbath," and said, "The United States are painting a picture of a confrontation between the Maduro regime and the people of Venezuela. This picture is far from reality."

Nebenzia said Maduro has "broad support" among the Venezuela people, and he cited an October 2018 poll by an organization close to the opposition reported that the National Assembly led by Guaido "is not supported by almost 70 percent of the people of Venezuela."

The European Union as a whole says it could recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezeula's leader if the government doesn't announce new elections within the coming days.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement Saturday that the European bloc would intensify contacts with international partners "in the coming hours" on Venezuela's crisis.

The EU urgently called for new elections, saying Venezuela's presidential vote last year was not democratic.

Mogherini said "in the absence of an announcement on the organization of fresh elections with the necessary guarantees over the next days, the EU will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country's leadership."

Earlier Saturday, France, Germany, Britain and Spain set an eight-day deadline for calling elections for recognizing Guaido's leadership.

The Europeans' position opens a new front in their tensions with Russia, which strongly supports Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Britain has become the latest European power to say it will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president unless the government calls new presidential elections.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Saturday Britain will recognize Guaido unless the government of President Nicolas Maduro makes an announcement about new elections within eight days.

Hunt complained in a tweet that Maduro's election was marred by "banning opposition candidates, ballot box stuffing and counting irregularities in a deeply flawed election"

He said "it is clear Nicolas Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela."

Guaido is the head of the congress, which does not recognize Maduro's re-election last year as legitimate.

The United Nations Security Council is discussing the crisis in Venezuela.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is urging all nations to support the Venezuelan people as they try to free themselves from what he calls Nicolas Maduro's "illegitimate mafia state." Pompeo says they should back congressional leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president.

America's top diplomat told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday that "the humanitarian situation demands action now."

He said nine out of 10 Venezuelan citizens live in poverty and 3 million have been forced to flee their homeland. He said that has threatened international peace and security."

Pompeo accused Russia and China of trying "to prop up Maduro while he is in dire straits ... in the hopes of recovering billions of dollars in ill-considered investments and assistance made over the years."

But Pompeo said no country has done more to sustain "the nightmarish condition of the Venezuelan people" than Cuba, which he said has sent "security and intelligence thugs" to back Maduro.

He said it's the time for nations to pick a side. In his words, "Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem."

The United States has barely survived a procedural vote to go ahead with a U.N. Security Council meeting it called on the crisis in Venezuela.

The U.S. received the minimum nine "yes" votes to hold Saturday's meeting on the situation in Venezuela, with four countries voting "no" and two abstaining.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia opposed the meeting, saying Venezuela does not represent a threat to international peace and security.

Instead, he said, the country is facing a U.S. effort "to attempt a coup d'etat in the country."

Nebenzia said the meeting should be held under a council agenda item on "threats to international peace and security" — which he said the U.S. poses with its attempt at intervention.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo countered that Nicolas Maduro has repressed the Venezuelan people as president, left them starving and fleeing the country.

He said opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom the U.S. has recognized as president, has promised elections and the long-delayed council discussion cannot be delayed again.

Germany has joined France and Spain in saying it will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela if President Nicolas Maduro's government doesn't hold new presidential elections.

A spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel tweeted Saturday that, "the people of Venezuela must be able to freely and securely decide about its future."

The United Nations Security Council is meeting later Saturday to discuss the situation in Venezuela after Guaido declared himself the interim president of Venezuela on Wednesday, setting off a standoff with Maduro.

Guaido is head of the congress, which considers Maduro's re-election last year invalid. The United States and several other countries immediately recognized Guaido as president, while Maduro accuses opponents of staging a coup.

President Emmanuel Macron says France is ready to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's "president in charge" if no elections are held within eight days.

Macron tweeted Saturday in French and Spanish that "the Venezuelan people should be able to freely decide their future." He said France is working with European partners to encourage a "political process" that would solve Venezuela's leadership crisis.

The United Nations Security Council is meeting later Saturday to discuss Venezuela after Guaido declared himself the interim president of Venezuela on Wednesday, setting off a standoff with President Nicolas Maduro. The United States and other countries immediately recognized Guaido as president, while Maduro accuses opponents of staging a coup.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says that unless Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro calls for new elections within eight days Spain will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of the South American country.

Sanchez says on Saturday that "Spain is giving the government of Nicolas Maduro eight days to convoke free, transparent and democratic elections, and if that does not occur, Spain will recognize Juan Guaido as the president charged with carrying out said elections."

Sanchez adds that as leader of Venezuela's National Assembly, Guaido is "the person who should lead the transition to free elections."

Sanchez says that his government wants the other 27 members of the European Union to back its position.

Guaido declared himself the interim president of Venezuela on Wednesday, setting off a standoff with Maduro.

The United States and other countries immediately recognized Guaido as president.

Venezuela's political showdown moves to the United Nations where a Security Council meeting called by the United States will pit backers of President Nicolas Maduro against the Trump administration and supporters of the country's self-declared interim leader Juan Guaido.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to address Saturday's meeting along with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and the other council members, which include supporters of both dueling presidents.

The session focusing on Venezuela's crisis comes a day after Guaido vowed to remain on the streets until his country has a transitional government, while Maduro dug in and accused his opponents of orchestrating a coup.

In clashing press conferences, Guaido urged his followers to stage another mass protest next week, while Maduro pushed his call for dialogue.

Eds: A previous version of the 12:50 p.m. item incorrectly stated that the previous Spanish prime minister resigned amid corruption charges. The political scandal did not involve charges against the prime minister.</s>Mick Mulvaney on Sunday refused to rule out U.S. military action to address unrest in Venezuela, following a week where President Donald Trump formally distanced the U.S. from the country's ruler, Nicolás Maduro, by declaring an opposition figure as Venezuela's true leader.

"I don't think any president of any party who is doing his or her job would be doing the job properly if they took anything off the table," the president’s acting chief of staff told Fox News chief White House correspondent John Roberts on “Fox News Sunday.“

"I think the president of the United States is looking at this extraordinarily closely."

Trump on Wednesday announced that he was recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the South American nation’s legitimate interim president, a move Canada, Brazil and several other countries also made. So far, the European Union has declined to follow suit, but on Saturday threatened "further actions" if a new presidential election were not announced in the coming days.

Maduro won a second term in May 2018 in what the United States and other independent observers deemed a fraudulent election.

Trump, Mulvaney said, has remained in close contact with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other top Cabinet officials in monitoring the situation.

Pompeo has sought for the United Nations to recognize Guaidó as Venezuela's president, but Russia and China have opposed such support. Russia has gone so far as to accuse the U.S. of "trying to engineer a coup d’etat" in Caracas.

On Saturday, Venezuela backtracked on its order for U.S. Embassy personnel to leave the country, after Maduro broke diplomatic relations with the U.S. in response to Trump's decision and expelled American diplomats.</s>BERLIN — European leaders threw their support behind Venezuela’s opposition leader on Saturday ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting about the country’s political turmoil.

The governments of Germany, Spain and France all stated they would recognize Juan Guaido, who proclaimed himself interim president on Wednesday, as head of state if elections are not called in the coming week.

“Unless elections are announced within eight days, we will be ready to recognize @jguaido as ‘President in charge’ of Venezuela in order to trigger a political process,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on his Twitter feed.

The United States said on Friday it was ready to step up economic measures to drive current President Nicolas Maduro from power, and most Latin American nations have joined Washington in supporting Guaido’s claim on the presidency.

Europe, however, had until now simply called for new elections in the troubled South American country.

Saturday’s U.N. Security Council meeting is being held at Washington’s request.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to address the meeting along with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and the other council members, which include supporters of both dueling presidents.

Amid the tension, the U.S. on Friday named Elliot Abrams, a hawkish former Republican official, to handle American policy toward Venezuela.

A neoconservative who has long advocated an activist U.S. role in the world, Abrams was assistant secretary of state during the Reagan administration and was convicted in 1991 on two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal. He was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush.

The session focusing on Venezuela’s crisis comes a day after Guaido vowed to remain on the streets until his country has a transitional government, while Maduro dug in and accused his opponents of orchestrating a coup.

“They can cut a flower, but they will never keep spring from coming,” Guaido told supporters Friday, alluding to a similar phrase from the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

In rival press conferences, Guaido urged his followers to stage another mass protest next week, while Maduro pushed his call for dialogue. Each man appeared ready to defend his claim to the presidency no matter the cost, with Guaido telling supporters that if he is arrested they should “stay the course” and peacefully protest.

But the standoff could set the scene for more violence and has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that rights groups say has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands take to the street demanding Maduro step down.

Guaido’s move is the most direct challenge to Maduro’s rule despite years of protests at home and international efforts to isolate the regime amid a growing humanitarian crisis fueled by falling oil prices and government mismanagement.

President Donald Trump’s administration announced it was recognizing the 35-year-old leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Wednesday, leading Maduro to say that he was breaking all diplomatic ties with the United States.

U.S. and Venezuelan diplomats are finding themselves caught in the crosshairs. On Wednesday, Maduro gave American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country — an order Washington said it would defy by keeping the embassy open, though it told non-essential staff to leave.

On Friday morning, a caravan of black SUVs escorted a contingent of U.S. embassy workers and their families to the Caracas airport. They were later seen checking into an American Airlines flight.

Maduro, meanwhile, has recalled all Venezuelan diplomats from the U.S. and ordered the nation’s embassy and consulates there closed. Guaido, seeking to sidestep Maduro, has urged all American and Venezuelan staff to stay in their posts.

Maduro has not shown any hint he’s ready to cede power. He called Guaido on Friday “an agent for the gringos in Venezuela,” using a sometimes derogatory term for Americans. But he also said that he would be willing to talk with Trump and the opposition.

“I’m not anti-American,” he said. “I’m anti-imperialist.”</s>CARACAS, Capital District — Venezuela defused a potential showdown with the United States, suspending a demand that U.S. diplomats leave the country as Washington called on the world to "pick a side" in the South American nation's fast-moving crisis.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro broke relations with the United States on Wednesday after the Trump administration and many other nations in the region recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, a move that Maduro called a coup attempt.

Maduro gave U.S. diplomats three days to leave the country, but the Trump administration said it wouldn't obey, arguing that Maduro is no longer Venezuela's legitimate president. That set the stage for a showdown at the hilltop U.S. Embassy compound Saturday night, when the deadline was to expire.

But as the sun set on Venezuela's capital, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Maduro's government was suspending the expulsion to provide a 30-day window for negotiating with U.S. officials about setting up a "U.S. interests office" in Venezuela and a similar Venezuelan office in the United States. The U.S. and Cuba had a similar arrangement for decades before the Obama administration restored diplomatic relations with the communist-run island.

The State Department did not confirm the Venezuelan government's account, reiterating only that its priority remains the safety of its personnel and that it has no plans to close the embassy.

Earlier Saturday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council: "Let me be 100 percent clear — President Trump and I fully expect that our diplomats will continue to receive protections provided under the Vienna Convention. Do not test the United States on our resolve to protect our people."

In the Security Council meeting, critics and supporters of Maduro's government faced off in a reflection of the world's deep divisions over Venezuela, which is mired in political confrontation as well as an economic collapse that has caused millions to flee the country.

During the debate, which was requested by the U.S., Pompeo urged all nations to end Venezuela's "nightmare" and support Guaido.

"Now is the time for every other national to pick a side," Pompeo said. "No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem."

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia charged that the Trump administration is trying "to engineer a coup" against Maduro. He said Venezuela doesn't threaten international peace and security, and he accused "extremist opponents" of Maduro's government of choosing "maximum confrontation," including the artificial creation of a parallel government.

Nebenzia urged Pompeo to say whether the U.S. will use military force.

Pompeo later told reporters who asked for a response, "I am not going to speculate or hypothesize on what the U.S. will do next."

Pompeo was accompanied to New York by Elliott Abrams, who was named a day earlier as the U.S. special representative for Venezuela. Abrams is a former assistant secretary of state for Latin America who worked at the White House when a 2002 coup in Venezuela briefly ousted Maduro's predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez.

On his first day on the job, Abrams met with exiled leaders of Venezuela's opposition. He also spoke by phone with Guaido, the leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress. Abrams reaffirmed U.S. support for Guaido as interim president, said Kimberly Breier, the current assistant secretary of state for the region.

The Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body, has not taken action on the Venezuelan crisis because of the divisions. The Security Council's five veto-holding permanent members could not unite behind a statement on Venezuela, presenting widely differing texts.

The leaders of two of those council nations — France and Britain — joined Spain and Germany to turn up the pressure on Maduro, saying Saturday that they would follow the U.S. and others in recognizing Guaido as president unless Venezuela calls a new presidential election within eight days.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said that if there is no announcement of a new election in the next days, the 28-nation bloc "will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country's leadership."

"Europe is giving us eight days?" he asked the council. "Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people. It's almost childlike."

Arreaza asked that someone show him where in Venezuela's constitution it says an individual can proclaim himself president.

Guaido says he is acting in accordance with two articles of the constitution that give the National Assembly president the right to hold power temporarily and call new elections.

While the council debated, a man identifying himself as Venezuela's military attache in Washington posted a video saying he had broken with Maduro and now would report to Guaido.

"The armed forces have a fundamental role to play in the restoration of democracy," Col. Jose Luis Silva said in the video, which he said was shot at his office in the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, sitting in front of the nation's red, blue and yellow flag.

He called on other members of the military to join him in supporting Guaido, saying they need to avoid "attacking" protesters whose only aim is to feed themselves.

"We welcome him and everyone who with honesty want to follow the constitution and the will of the Venezuelan people," he said on social media after attending a small assembly in Caracas to discuss the opposition's next moves.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for U.S. National Security Council, encouraged others to follow Silva's lead "to protect constitutional order, not to sustain dictators and repress its own people."

Venezuela's top commanders have pledged loyalty to Maduro's government in the days since Guaido declared himself interim leader on grounds that Maduro's re-election last year was fraudulent — an allegation supported by the U.S., the European Union and many Latin American nations.

But support for Maduro's rule is weaker among the military's rank and file, whose households are suffering from widespread food shortages and hyperinflation like their civilian counterparts. Last week, a small National Guard unit stole a stockpile of weapons in what it said was an attempt to oust Maduro. The uprising was quelled and 25 guardsmen arrested.

The standoff has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that rights groups say has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands take to the street demanding Maduro step down.

Associated Press writer Manuel Rueda reported this story in Caracas and AP writer Edith M. Lederer reported from the United Nations.</s>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told countries at the United Nations on Saturday to “pick a side” on Venezuela, urging them to back Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and calling for free and fair elections as soon as possible.

Pompeo was addressing the 15-member U.N. Security Council, which met at his request after Washington and a string of countries in the region recognized Guaido as head of state and urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

“Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side ... Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you’re in league with Maduro and his mayhem,” Pompeo told the council. “We call on all members of the Security Council to support Venezuela’s democratic transition and interim President Guaido’s role.”

Guaido, who took the helm of the National Assembly on Jan. 5, proclaimed himself interim president on Wednesday though Maduro, who has led the oil-rich nation since 2013 and has the support of the armed forces, has refused to stand down.

Maduro cruised to re-election in May last year amid low turnout and allegations of vote-buying by the government. The domestic opposition, the United States and right leaning Latin American governments declined to recognize the result of the vote.

Under Maduro, Venezuela has sunk into turmoil with food shortages and daily protests amid an economic and political crisis that has sparked mass emigration and inflation that is seen rising to 10 million percent this year.

Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Belgium all said on Saturday they would recognize Guaido as interim president unless Maduro called fresh elections within eight days.

“Europe is giving us eight days? Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people,” Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told the Security Council. “It’s almost childlike.”

Arreaza said Maduro’s government still hopes to establish communication and dialogue with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. “That offer stands,” he told the council.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the eight day ultimatum “absurd.” Moscow opposes the U.S. efforts and has accused Washington of backing a coup attempt, placing Venezuela at the heart of a growing geopolitical duel.

“This is not about foreign intervention in Venezuela,” former U.S. diplomat Elliott Abrams, who Pompeo named on Friday to lead U.S. efforts on Venezuela, told the council.

Russia failed in a bid to stop Saturday’s Security Council meeting. China, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea voted with Moscow to block the meeting, while nine countries voted in favor of the meeting. Ivory Coast and Indonesia abstained.

“We strongly condemn those who are pushing the Venezuelan society to the edge of a bloodbath. The U.S. are painting a picture of a confrontation between the Maduro regime and the people of Venezuela. This picture is far from reality,” Nebenzia told the Security Council.

Russia, China, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea also blocked a U.S. push for a U.N. Security Council statement expressing full support for Venezuela’s National Assembly as the country’s “only democratically elected institution.”

“China does not interfere in other countries internal affairs. We hope the country that accuses others can do likewise itself,” said China’s U.N. Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu, referring to the United States.

The United States has signaled it was ready to step up economic measures to try to drive Maduro from power.

Pompeo told reporters on Saturday that he hopes countries “will ensure that they disconnect their financial systems from the Maduro regime and allow assets that belong to the Venezuelan people to go to the rightful governors of that state.”</s>Venezuela allows US diplomats to stay, defusing showdown

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela defused a potential showdown with the United States, suspending a demand that U.S. diplomats leave the country as Washington called on the world to "pick a side" in the South American nation's fast-moving crisis.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro broke relations with the United States on Wednesday after the Trump administration and many other nations in the region recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, a move that Maduro called a coup attempt.

Maduro gave U.S. diplomats three days to leave the country, but the Trump administration said it wouldn't obey, arguing that Maduro is no longer Venezuela's legitimate president. That set the stage for a showdown at the hilltop U.S. Embassy compound Saturday night, when the deadline was to expire.

But as the sun set on Venezuela's capital, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Maduro's government was suspending the expulsion to provide a 30-day window for negotiating with U.S. officials about setting up a "U.S. interests office" in Venezuela and a similar Venezuelan office in the United States. The U.S. and Cuba had a similar arrangement for decades before the Obama administration restored diplomatic relations with the communist-run island.

The State Department did not confirm the Venezuelan government's account, reiterating only that its priority remains the safety of its personnel and that it has no plans to close the embassy.

Earlier Saturday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council: "Let me be 100 percent clear — President Trump and I fully expect that our diplomats will continue to receive protections provided under the Vienna Convention. Do not test the United States on our resolve to protect our people."

In the Security Council meeting, critics and supporters of Maduro's government faced off in a reflection of the world's deep divisions over Venezuela, which is mired in political confrontation as well as an economic collapse that has caused millions to flee the country.

During the debate, which was requested by the U.S., Pompeo urged all nations to end Venezuela's "nightmare" and support Guaido.

"Now is the time for every other national to pick a side," Pompeo said. "No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem."

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia charged that the Trump administration is trying "to engineer a coup" against Maduro. He said Venezuela doesn't threaten international peace and security, and he accused "extremist opponents" of Maduro's government of choosing "maximum confrontation," including the artificial creation of a parallel government.

Nebenzia urged Pompeo to say whether the U.S. will use military force.

Pompeo later told reporters who asked for a response, "I am not going to speculate or hypothesize on what the U.S. will do next."

Pompeo was accompanied to New York by Elliott Abrams, who was named a day earlier as the U.S. special representative for Venezuela. Abrams is a former assistant secretary of state for Latin America who worked at the White House when a 2002 coup in Venezuela briefly ousted Maduro's predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez.

On his first day on the job, Abrams met with exiled leaders of Venezuela's opposition. He also spoke by phone with Guaido, the leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress. Abrams reaffirmed U.S. support for Guaido as interim president, said Kimberly Breier, the current assistant secretary of state for the region.

The Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body, has not taken action on the Venezuelan crisis because of the divisions. The Security Council's five veto-holding permanent members could not unite behind a statement on Venezuela, presenting widely differing texts.

The leaders of two of those council nations — France and Britain — joined Spain and Germany to turn up the pressure on Maduro, saying Saturday that they would follow the U.S. and others in recognizing Guaido as president unless Venezuela calls a new presidential election within eight days.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said that if there is no announcement of a new election in the next days, the 28-nation bloc "will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country's leadership."

"Europe is giving us eight days?" he asked the council. "Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people. It's almost childlike."

Arreaza asked that someone show him where in Venezuela's constitution it says an individual can proclaim himself president.

Guaido says he is acting in accordance with two articles of the constitution that give the National Assembly president the right to hold power temporarily and call new elections.

While the council debated, a man identifying himself as Venezuela's military attache in Washington posted a video saying he had broken with Maduro and now would report to Guaido.

"The armed forces have a fundamental role to play in the restoration of democracy," Col. Jose Luis Silva said in the video, which he said was shot at his office in the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, sitting in front of the nation's red, blue and yellow flag.

He called on other members of the military to join him in supporting Guaido, saying they need to avoid "attacking" protesters whose only aim is to feed themselves.

"We welcome him and everyone who with honesty want to follow the constitution and the will of the Venezuelan people," he said on social media after attending a small assembly in Caracas to discuss the opposition's next moves.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for U.S. National Security Council, encouraged others to follow Silva's lead "to protect constitutional order, not to sustain dictators and repress its own people."

Venezuela's top commanders have pledged loyalty to Maduro's government in the days since Guaido declared himself interim leader on grounds that Maduro's re-election last year was fraudulent — an allegation supported by the U.S., the European Union and many Latin American nations.

But support for Maduro's rule is weaker among the military's rank and file, whose households are suffering from widespread food shortages and hyperinflation like their civilian counterparts. Last week, a small National Guard unit stole a stockpile of weapons in what it said was an attempt to oust Maduro. The uprising was quelled and 25 guardsmen arrested.

The standoff has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that rights groups say has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands take to the street demanding Maduro step down.

Associated Press writer Manuel Rueda reported this story in Caracas and AP writer Edith M. Lederer reported from the United Nations.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela defused a potential showdown with the United States, suspending a demand that U.S. diplomats leave the country as Washington called on the world to “pick a side” in the South American nation’s fast-moving crisis.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro broke relations with the United States on Wednesday after the Trump administration and many other nations in the region recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president, a move that Maduro called a coup attempt.

Maduro gave U.S. diplomats three days to leave the country, but the Trump administration said it wouldn’t obey, arguing that Maduro is no longer Venezuela’s legitimate president. That set the stage for a showdown at the hilltop U.S. Embassy compound Saturday night, when the deadline was to expire.

But as the sun set on Venezuela’s capital, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Maduro’s government was suspending the expulsion to provide a 30-day window for negotiating with U.S. officials about setting up a “U.S. interests office” in Venezuela and a similar Venezuelan office in the United States. The U.S. and Cuba had a similar arrangement for decades before the Obama administration restored diplomatic relations with the communist-run island.

The State Department did not confirm the Venezuelan government’s account, reiterating only that its priority remains the safety of its personnel and that it has no plans to close the embassy.

Earlier Saturday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council: “Let me be 100 percent clear — President Trump and I fully expect that our diplomats will continue to receive protections provided under the Vienna Convention. Do not test the United States on our resolve to protect our people.”

In the Security Council meeting, critics and supporters of Maduro’s government faced off in a reflection of the world’s deep divisions over Venezuela, which is mired in political confrontation as well as an economic collapse that has caused millions to flee the country.

During the debate, which was requested by the U.S., Pompeo urged all nations to end Venezuela’s “nightmare” and support Guaido.

“Now is the time for every other national to pick a side,” Pompeo said. “No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you’re in league with Maduro and his mayhem.”

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia charged that the Trump administration is trying “to engineer a coup” against Maduro. He said Venezuela doesn’t threaten international peace and security, and he accused “extremist opponents” of Maduro’s government of choosing “maximum confrontation,” including the artificial creation of a parallel government.

Nebenzia urged Pompeo to say whether the U.S. will use military force.

Pompeo later told reporters who asked for a response, “I am not going to speculate or hypothesize on what the U.S. will do next.”

Pompeo was accompanied to New York by Elliott Abrams, who was named a day earlier as the U.S. special representative for Venezuela. Abrams is a former assistant secretary of state for Latin America who worked at the White House when a 2002 coup in Venezuela briefly ousted Maduro’s predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez.

On his first day on the job, Abrams met with exiled leaders of Venezuela’s opposition. He also spoke by phone with Guaido, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled congress.

Abrams reaffirmed U.S. support for Guaido as interim president, said Kimberly Breier, the current assistant secretary of state for the region.

The Security Council, the U.N.’s most powerful body, has not taken action on the Venezuelan crisis because of the divisions. The Security Council’s five veto-holding permanent members could not unite behind a statement on Venezuela, presenting widely differing texts.

The leaders of two of those council nations — France and Britain — joined Spain and Germany to turn up the pressure on Maduro, saying Saturday that they would follow the U.S. and others in recognizing Guaido as president unless Venezuela calls a new presidential election within eight days.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said that if there is no announcement of a new election in the next days, the 28-nation bloc “will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country’s leadership.”

“Europe is giving us eight days?” he asked the council. “Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people. It’s almost childlike.”

Arreaza asked that someone show him where in Venezuela’s constitution it says an individual can proclaim himself president.

Guaido says he is acting in accordance with two articles of the constitution that give the National Assembly president the right to hold power temporarily and call new elections.

While the council debated, a man identifying himself as Venezuela’s military attache in Washington posted a video saying he had broken with Maduro and now would report to Guaido.

“The armed forces have a fundamental role to play in the restoration of democracy,” Col. Jose Luis Silva said in the video, which he said was shot at his office in the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, sitting in front of the nation’s red, blue and yellow flag.

He called on other members of the military to join him in supporting Guaido, saying they need to avoid “attacking” protesters whose only aim is to feed themselves.

“We welcome him and everyone who with honesty want to follow the constitution and the will of the Venezuelan people,” he said on social media after attending a small assembly in Caracas to discuss the opposition’s next moves.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for U.S. National Security Council, encouraged others to follow Silva’s lead “to protect constitutional order, not to sustain dictators and repress its own people.”

Venezuela’s top commanders have pledged loyalty to Maduro’s government in the days since Guaido declared himself interim leader on grounds that Maduro’s re-election last year was fraudulent — an allegation supported by the U.S., the European Union and many Latin American nations.

But support for Maduro’s rule is weaker among the military’s rank and file, whose households are suffering from widespread food shortages and hyperinflation like their civilian counterparts. Last week, a small National Guard unit stole a stockpile of weapons in what it said was an attempt to oust Maduro. The uprising was quelled and 25 guardsmen arrested.

The standoff has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that rights groups say has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands take to the street demanding Maduro step down.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela defused a potential showdown with the United States, suspending a demand that U.S. diplomats leave the country as Washington called on the world to "pick a side" in the South American nation's fast-moving crisis.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro broke relations with the United States on Wednesday after the Trump administration and many other nations in the region recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, a move that Maduro called a coup attempt.

Maduro gave U.S. diplomats three days to leave the country, but the Trump administration said it wouldn't obey, arguing that Maduro is no longer Venezuela's legitimate president. That set the stage for a showdown at the hilltop U.S. Embassy compound Saturday night, when the deadline was to expire.

But as the sun set on Venezuela's capital, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Maduro's government was suspending the expulsion to provide a 30-day window for negotiating with U.S. officials about setting up a "U.S. interests office" in Venezuela and a similar Venezuelan office in the United States. The U.S. and Cuba had a similar arrangement for decades before the Obama administration restored diplomatic relations with the communist-run island.

The State Department did not confirm the Venezuelan government's account, reiterating only that its priority remains the safety of its personnel and that it has no plans to close the embassy.

Earlier Saturday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council: "Let me be 100 percent clear — President Trump and I fully expect that our diplomats will continue to receive protections provided under the Vienna Convention. Do not test the United States on our resolve to protect our people."

In the Security Council meeting, critics and supporters of Maduro's government faced off in a reflection of the world's deep divisions over Venezuela, which is mired in political confrontation as well as an economic collapse that has caused millions to flee the country.

During the debate, which was requested by the U.S., Pompeo urged all nations to end Venezuela's "nightmare" and support Guaido.

"Now is the time for every other national to pick a side," Pompeo said. "No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem."

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia charged that the Trump administration is trying "to engineer a coup" against Maduro. He said Venezuela doesn't threaten international peace and security, and he accused "extremist opponents" of Maduro's government of choosing "maximum confrontation," including the artificial creation of a parallel government.

Nebenzia urged Pompeo to say whether the U.S. will use military force.

Pompeo later told reporters who asked for a response, "I am not going to speculate or hypothesize on what the U.S. will do next."

Pompeo was accompanied to New York by Elliott Abrams, who was named a day earlier as the U.S. special representative for Venezuela. Abrams is a former assistant secretary of state for Latin America who worked at the White House when a 2002 coup in Venezuela briefly ousted Maduro's predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez.

On his first day on the job, Abrams met with exiled leaders of Venezuela's opposition. He also spoke by phone with Guaido, the leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress. Abrams reaffirmed U.S. support for Guaido as interim president, said Kimberly Breier, the current assistant secretary of state for the region.

The Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body, has not taken action on the Venezuelan crisis because of the divisions. The Security Council's five veto-holding permanent members could not unite behind a statement on Venezuela, presenting widely differing texts.

The leaders of two of those council nations — France and Britain — joined Spain and Germany to turn up the pressure on Maduro, saying Saturday that they would follow the U.S. and others in recognizing Guaido as president unless Venezuela calls a new presidential election within eight days.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said that if there is no announcement of a new election in the next days, the 28-nation bloc "will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country's leadership."

"Europe is giving us eight days?" he asked the council. "Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people. It's almost childlike."

Arreaza asked that someone show him where in Venezuela's constitution it says an individual can proclaim himself president.

Guaido says he is acting in accordance with two articles of the constitution that give the National Assembly president the right to hold power temporarily and call new elections.

While the council debated, a man identifying himself as Venezuela's military attache in Washington posted a video saying he had broken with Maduro and now would report to Guaido.

"The armed forces have a fundamental role to play in the restoration of democracy," Col. Jose Luis Silva said in the video, which he said was shot at his office in the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, sitting in front of the nation's red, blue and yellow flag.

He called on other members of the military to join him in supporting Guaido, saying they need to avoid "attacking" protesters whose only aim is to feed themselves.

"We welcome him and everyone who with honesty want to follow the constitution and the will of the Venezuelan people," he said on social media after attending a small assembly in Caracas to discuss the opposition's next moves.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for U.S. National Security Council, encouraged others to follow Silva's lead "to protect constitutional order, not to sustain dictators and repress its own people."

Venezuela's top commanders have pledged loyalty to Maduro's government in the days since Guaido declared himself interim leader on grounds that Maduro's re-election last year was fraudulent — an allegation supported by the U.S., the European Union and many Latin American nations.

But support for Maduro's rule is weaker among the military's rank and file, whose households are suffering from widespread food shortages and hyperinflation like their civilian counterparts. Last week, a small National Guard unit stole a stockpile of weapons in what it said was an attempt to oust Maduro. The uprising was quelled and 25 guardsmen arrested.

The standoff has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that rights groups say has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands take to the street demanding Maduro step down.

Associated Press writer Manuel Rueda reported this story in Caracas and AP writer Edith M. Lederer reported from the United Nations.</s>At U.N., U.S. Urges All Nations to End Venezuela's 'Nightmare'

UNITED NATIONS—The United States urged all nations Saturday to end Venezuela’s “nightmare” and support opposition leader Juan Guaido while Russia accused the Trump administration of attempting “to engineer a coup d’etat” against President Nicolas Maduro — a reflection of the world’s deep divisions over the crisis in the South American country.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council at a meeting called by Washington that it’s beyond time to back the Venezuelan people as they try to free themselves from what he called Maduro’s “illegitimate mafia state” and support Guaido. The young opposition leader has declared himself the country’s interim president, arguing that Maduro’s re-election was fraudulent.

But Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Venezuela doesn’t threaten international peace and security and accused “extremist opponents” of Maduro’s legitimate government of choosing “maximum confrontation,” including the artificial creation of a parallel government. He urged Pompeo to say whether the U.S. will use military force.

Pompeo later told reporters who asked for a response, “I am not going to speculate or hypothesize on what the U.S. will do next.”

What has played out in Venezuela and the world’s media between supporters and opponents of the Maduro government played out face-to-face in the chamber of the U.N.’s most powerful body, which has failed to take action on the Venezuelan crisis because of deep divisions. The Security Council’s five veto-wielding permanent members could not unite behind a statement on Venezuela, presenting widely differing texts.

The leaders of two of those council nations — France and Britain — joined Spain and Germany to turn up the pressure on Maduro Saturday, saying they would follow the U.S. and others in recognizing Guaido unless Venezuela calls new presidential elections within eight days.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said if there is no announcement of new elections in the next days the 28-nation bloc “will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country’s leadership.”

“Europe is giving us eight days?” he asked the council. “Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people. It’s almost childlike.”

Arreaza said Venezuela “will not allow anyone to impose on us any decision or order” and demanded that someone show him where in the country’s constitution it states that an individual can proclaim himself president.

As for possible military action to oust Maduro, Arreaza said, “we will not allow any government or any country to violate our sovereignty, and to give a pretext for Donald Trump to start a war.”

The opposition to Guaido was also reflected in the initial procedural vote on whether the 15-member Security Council should even discuss the crisis in Venezuela, which is not on its official agenda.

The United States barely survived the vote to go ahead with the meeting, receiving the minimum nine “yes” votes from the council’s six Western nations along with Kuwait, Peru and the Dominican Republic. China, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea joined Russia in voting “no” while Indonesia and Ivory Coast abstained.

Pompeo went after Russia and China, accusing them of trying “to prop up Maduro while he is in dire straits … in the hopes of recovering billions of dollars in ill-considered investments and assistance made over the years.”

But he saved his sharpest attack for Cuba, saying no country has done more to sustain “the nightmarish condition of the Venezuelan people.” He said Cuba has sent “security and intelligence thugs” to sustain Maduro’s “illegitimate rule.”

“Now is the time for every other national to pick a side,” Pompeo said. “No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you’re in league with Maduro and his mayhem.”

China’s U.N. Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu said his government “firmly opposed” the U.S. accusations and doesn’t interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

“We hope the country that accuses others can do likewise itself,” Ma told the council.

Cuba’s U.N. Ambassador Anayansi Rodriguez went further, rejecting “the deliberate” and “fake news” cast on the country not only by Pompeo but by Elliot Abrams, the new chief of U.S. policy on Venezuela who sat in the council after the secretary of state left.

Abrams called Venezuela “a satellite of Cuba and Russia” — which the three countries vehemently denied — and said Saturday’s meeting “is not about foreign intervention in Venezuela” but “about the right of Venezuelans to direct their own internal affairs and choose the future of their own country democratically.”

The Security Council meeting came a day after Guaido vowed to remain on the streets until his country has a transitional government, while Maduro dug in and accused his opponents of orchestrating a coup.

In rival press conferences, Guaido urged his followers to stage another mass protest next week, while Maduro pushed his call for dialogue.

The standoff could set the scene for more violence and has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that rights groups say has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands take to the street demanding Maduro step down.

Guaido took a symbolic oath of office Wednesday proclaiming himself the nation’s constitutional leader on grounds that Maduro’s re-election last year was fraudulent — an allegation supported by the U.S., the European Union and many other nations.

The Trump administration announced it was recognizing the 35-year-old leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly quickly after his oath, leading Maduro to say that he was breaking all diplomatic ties with the United States and expelling U.S. diplomats. Guaido told the Americans to stay.

Pompeo told the Security Council: “Let me be 100 percent clear — President Trump and I fully expect that our diplomats will continue to receive protections provided under the Vienna Convention. Do not test the United States on our resolve to protect our people.”

On Saturday, Venezuela’s government backtracked on an earlier 72-hour deadline for U.S. Embassy personnel to leave the country.

Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it is negotiating the establishment of a U.S. Interests Office and will allow U.S. Embassy personnel to remain in the country while talks take place. It said that talks about an interest section will have a 30-day limit and if no agreement is reached embassy personnel will then have to leave. The Trump administration had refused to obey the directive and Saturday’s decision puts off a potential conflict between both countries.

Recognition of Guaido by the U.S., Venezuela’s biggest trade partner, threatens to heap more misery on the country’s crisis-stricken economy, and a similar move by European nations would complicate matters further.

Directives sent Friday by the State Department to the Federal Reserve will make it harder for Maduro to gain access to the government’s sizable overseas assets, including revenue from oil sales and profits by Houston-based Citgo, a unit of the state-owned oil giant PDVSA.

Guaido’s move is the most direct challenge to Maduro’s rule despite years of protests at home and international efforts to isolate the regime amid a growing humanitarian crisis fueled by falling oil prices and government mismanagement.

Maduro is accusing the opposition of working with the U.S. to overthrow him. Though over a dozen nations are recognizing Guaido as president, Maduro still has the support of the military and powerful, longtime allies like Russia and China. He said he is still willing to talk with the opposition.

Both sides attempted dialogue last year, but it fell apart as Maduro pushed forward with an early election that Venezuela’s most popular opposition leaders were barred from running in. Many in the international community condemned that vote and now consider the National Assembly, which Maduro has stripped of its power, the only legitimate institution.

Russia’s Nebenzia, who opposed Saturday’s meeting, said it was useful because it showed Washington that a majority of countries favor Venezuela’s sovereignty, territorial independence, and non-interference in its internal affairs.

“Let’s not escalate tensions around Venezuela,” he said at the end of the council meeting.</s>US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told countries at the United Nations on Saturday to "pick a side" on Venezuela, urging them to back Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and calling for free and fair elections as soon as possible.

Pompeo was addressing the 15-member U.N. Security Council, which met at his request after Washington and a string of countries in the region recognized Guaido as head of state and urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

"Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side ... Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem," Pompeo told the council. "We call on all members of the Security Council to support Venezuela's democratic transition and interim President Guaido's role."

Pompeo called Venezuela an "illegitimate mafia state" under Maduro and doubled down on US support for the leader's ouster.

"The United States stands with the Venezuelan people," he said. "We're here to urge all nations to support the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people as they try to free themselves from former President Maduro's illegitimate mafia state."

Guaido, who took the helm of the National Assembly on Jan. 5, proclaimed himself interim president on Wednesday though Maduro, who has led the oil-rich nation since 2013 and has the support of the armed forces, has refused to stand down.

Maduro cruised to re-election in May last year amid low turnout and allegations of vote-buying by the government. The domestic opposition, the United States and right leaning Latin American governments declined to recognize the result of the vote.

Under Maduro, Venezuela has sunk into turmoil with food shortages and daily protests amid an economic and political crisis that has sparked mass emigration and inflation that is seen rising to 10 million percent this year.

Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Belgium all said on Saturday they would recognize Guaido as interim president unless Maduro called fresh elections within eight days.

"Europe is giving us eight days? Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people," Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told the Security Council. "It's almost childlike."

Arreaza said Maduro's government still hopes to establish communication and dialogue with US President Donald Trump's administration. "That offer stands," he told the council.

Read more:Venezuela's 'interim president' is in hiding — despite US backing — and appears to be failing one of his own 3 tests for securing power

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the eight day ultimatum "absurd." Moscow opposes the US efforts and has accused Washington of backing a coup attempt, placing Venezuela at the heart of a growing geopolitical duel.

"This is not about foreign intervention in Venezuela," former US diplomat Elliott Abrams, who Pompeo named on Friday to lead US efforts on Venezuela, told the council.

Russia failed in a bid to stop Saturday's Security Council meeting. China, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea voted with Moscow to block the meeting, while nine countries voted in favor of the meeting. Ivory Coast and Indonesia abstained.

"We strongly condemn those who are pushing the Venezuelan society to the edge of a bloodbath. The US are painting a picture of a confrontation between the Maduro regime and the people of Venezuela. This picture is far from reality," Nebenzia told the Security Council.

Russia, China, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea also blocked a US push for a U.N. Security Council statement expressing full support for Venezuela's National Assembly as the country's "only democratically elected institution."

"China does not interfere in other countries internal affairs. We hope the country that accuses others can do likewise itself," said China's U.N. Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu, referring to the United States.

The United States has signaled it was ready to step up economic measures to try to drive Maduro from power.

Pompeo told reporters on Saturday that he hopes countries "will ensure that they disconnect their financial systems from the Maduro regime and allow assets that belong to the Venezuelan people to go to the rightful governors of that state."
In an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting called by the United States, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells the representatives of each government in attendance to make it known whether their country will support the disputed presidency of Maduro or his contested political rival Juan Guaidó as the leader of Venezuela.