CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — International challenges to the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro’s government began to bite harder on Tuesday as the United States handed control over Venezuela’s U.S. bank accounts to opposition challenger Juan Guaido and Russia announced it expects Venezuela to have problems paying its debts.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Guaido, the congressional leader who has declared himself interim president, has authority to take control of bank accounts that Venezuela’s government has in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any other U.S.-insured banks.

Pompeo said the certification will “help Venezuela’s legitimate government safeguard those assets for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.”

Guaido has been recognized as the nation’s rightful leader by two dozen nations that contend the re-election of socialist President Nicolas Maduro was a sham, in part because his strongest opponents were barred from running.

Violent street demonstrations erupted last week when Guaido during a massive opposition rally in Caracas declared that he had assumed presidential powers and planned to hold fresh elections, ending Maduro’s “dictatorship.”

The United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Paraguay have officially acknowledged Guaido as the legitimate interim head of Venezuela, while countries including Russia and China back Maduro.

Inside Venezuela, Maduro holds the reins of power with the armed forces still loyal despite an opposition push to lure their support by proposing amnesty for anybody who supports Guaido’s transitional government.

Maduro accuses the United States of leading an open coup to oust him and exploit Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.

On Monday, the U.S. hit Venezuela’s state-owned oil company with sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Maduro to leave office.

Guaido said in an interview with CNN in Spanish on Monday that Venezuela’s opposition-controlled congress had approved a measure asking foreign nations to ensure the country’s assets aren’t “looted” by Maduro.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak told Russian state news agencies Tuesday “there will probably be problems” for Venezuela in paying its debts.

Storchak said Venezuela owes Russia $3 billion, with repayments twice a year of around $100 million, with the next due in March. Russia also has extensive commercial interests in Venezuela, including state oil company Rosneft’s partnership with Petroleos de Venezuela SA, which was placed under U.S. sanctions Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin shares the view of the Venezuelan government that the sanctions are “illegal” and sees them as a tool of unfair competition on part of the United States.

In Spain, state-owned shipbuilder Navantia said it has called back four Spanish technicians from Venezuela who were readying for final delivery a navy patrol ship sold 14 years ago to the Venezuelan government.

A company spokesman said the recall doesn’t change the shipbuilder’s plan to deliver the vessel, which is called Eternal Commander Hugo Chavez. It is the last of eight similar ships that the former Venezuelan leader bought from Spain in 2005 for $1.4 billion.</s>MOSCOW - The Kremlin on Sunday denied news reports that Russian private military contractors were in Venezuela to protect embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Several Russian and international media outlets have reported about Russian mercenaries sent to Venezuela to help Maduro who is under international pressure to hold elections.

Asked on television about whether there were "400 of our fighters protecting Maduro" in Venezuela, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded: "No of course not."

The Russian ambassador to Caracas also dismissed reports of Russian mercenaries in Venezuela.

On Friday, a self-proclaimed Cossack leader close to army veterans said a private military contractors group recently returned from Gabon had "urgently" got together "400 people" to send to Caracas via Cuba.

Yevgeny Shabayev, leader of a local chapter of a paramilitary group of Cossacks, said he had been contacted by relatives of the men because the objectives of the mission to Venezuela were "not clear".

Maduro is under pressure to hold elections after the United States, Canada and some South American governments recognised opposition rival Juan Guaido as acting president.</s>The Kremlin said on Tuesday that U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company amounted to illegal and open interference in the Latin American country's domestic affairs.

Moscow is assessing the impact of the sanctions on Russia and intends to use all legal mechanisms at its disposable to protect Russia's interests in Venezuela in light of the sanctions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.</s>Geneva -- The U.N. human rights office has said security forces in Venezuela detained nearly 700 people in one day last week amid anti-government protests -- the highest such tally in a single day in the country in at least 20 years. Rights office spokesman Rupert Colville said Tuesday that 696 people were detained on Wednesday alone. Overall, some 850 were detained between Monday and Saturday, including 77 children.

Colville said "more than 40 people" were believed to have been in killed "in different manners" amid the recent protests, including 11 people reportedly killed by "unidentified individuals" linked to incidents of looting. He said one member of the Bolivarian Guard was reportedly killed in the state of Monagas.

He told reporters in Geneva that officials were investigating reports of ill-treatment of detainees.

The violence and arrests in the once-rich South American nation have continued unabated since opposition leader and Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president of Venezuela last week -- a move backed early by the Trump administration, and since by a large number of other democracies around the world.

The U.S. and its allies consider current Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro an illegitimate leader. He was elected to a second term last year in a vote widely condemned as sham democracy, as he had barred -- through a justice system stacked with political allies -- all serious opposition candidates.

Guaidó, while now recognized by many nations as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, remains in hiding as Maduro still has the support of the country's security forces -- and some major international allies including China and Russia. Russia, and America's NATO ally Turkey, have rejected Guaidó's bid to take over as a U.S.-backed coup.

On Monday, the Trump administration upped the pressure on Maduro, slapping new sanctions on the state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., or PdVSA.
• None How could Trump's Venezuela policy impact the U.S.? 



President Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton the sanctions amounted to, "$7 billion in assets blocked today, over $11 billion in lost export proceeds over the next year." Mnuchin said the U.S. would "continue to use economic, diplomatic tools to support the Venezuelan people's efforts to restore their economy."

The Trump administration said the sanctions were aimed at blocking Maduro from using the country's oil wealth to keep propping up his regime and going after his opponents. The Treasury Department said the sanctions would be lifted if and when Guaidó assumes control of the government.

Guaidó told Britain's Sky News in an interview aired Tuesday that he welcomed the U.S. sanctions and would continue to lead and call for the protests, which are aimed at forcing Maduro to call new elections.

Russia, which has extensive commercial interests in Venezuela, including Russian state oil company Rosneft's partnership with PdVSA, called the new U.S. sanctions "illegal."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the sanctions as a tool of unfair competition on the part of the United States.</s>President Nicolas Maduro rides in an amphibious vehicle in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. Photo: Reuters</s>CARACAS, Venezuela — International challenges to the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro's government began to bite harder on Tuesday as the United States handed control over Venezuela's U.S. bank accounts to opposition challenger Juan Guaido and Russia announced it expects Venezuela to have problems paying its debts.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Guaido, the congressional leader who has declared himself interim president, has authority to take control of bank accounts that Venezuela's government has in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any other U.S.-insured banks.

Pompeo said the certification will "help Venezuela's legitimate government safeguard those assets for the benefit of the Venezuelan people."

Guaido has been recognized as the nation's rightful leader by two dozen nations that contend the re-election of socialist President Nicolas Maduro was a sham, in part because his strongest opponents were barred from running.

Violent street demonstrations erupted last week when Guaido during a massive opposition rally in Caracas declared that he had assumed presidential powers and planned to hold fresh elections, ending Maduro's "dictatorship."

The United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Paraguay have officially acknowledged Guaido as the legitimate interim head of Venezuela, while countries including Russia and China back Maduro.

Inside Venezuela, Maduro holds the reins of power with the armed forces still loyal despite an opposition push to lure their support by proposing amnesty for anybody who supports Guaido's transitional government.

Maduro accuses the United States of leading an open coup to oust him and exploit Venezuela's oil reserves, the largest in the world.

On Monday, the U.S. hit Venezuela's state-owned oil company with sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Maduro to leave office.

Guaido said in an interview with CNN in Spanish on Monday that Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress had approved a measure asking foreign nations to ensure the country's assets aren't "looted" by Maduro.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak told Russian state news agencies Tuesday "there will probably be problems" for Venezuela in paying its debts.

Storchak said Venezuela owes Russia $3 billion, with repayments twice a year of around $100 million, with the next due in March. Russia also has extensive commercial interests in Venezuela, including state oil company Rosneft's partnership with Petroleos de Venezuela SA, which was placed under U.S. sanctions Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin shares the view of the Venezuelan government that the sanctions are "illegal" and sees them as a tool of unfair competition on part of the United States.

In Spain, state-owned shipbuilder Navantia said it has called back four Spanish technicians from Venezuela who were readying for final delivery a navy patrol ship sold 14 years ago to the Venezuelan government.

A company spokesman said the recall doesn't change the shipbuilder's plan to deliver the vessel, which is called Eternal Commander Hugo Chavez. It is the last of eight similar ships that the former Venezuelan leader bought from Spain in 2005 for $1.4 billion.</s>Russia extended its criticism of the U.S. stance on Venezuela on Tuesday, describing the latest sanctions against the government of President Nicolás Maduro as illegitimate, even as the Russian Finance Ministry acknowledged that its loans to Caracas were at risk because of the crisis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the new U.S. measures blocking all U.S. revenue from Venezuela’s national oil company were the latest example of Washington using economic sanctions to further U.S. commercial interests. The Kremlin has leveled similar criticism against U.S. sanctions on Iran and Ukraine.

“You know the consistent attitude of Moscow toward such actions, which our American colleagues are taking more and more frequently,” Peskov said. “We believe that in most cases, this is an instance of unfair competition.”

Maduro is a key ally of Russia in Venezuela, giving Moscow a geopolitical foothold a three-hour flight from Miami. Russia has extended billions of dollars in loans to Venezuela and in December dispatched nuclear-capable bombers to the country in a show of force.

But it is far from clear that Russia’s influence in the country will be enough to keep Maduro in power. Russian officials have continued to insist that Maduro is Venezuela’s legitimate president and offered to mediate, along with Iran, among “responsible political forces” in the country. But they have not offered details about any specific new help that Russia would be willing to provide to Maduro.

Instead, Russia’s Finance Ministry acknowledged Tuesday that Venezuela’s loan repayments to Moscow may run into some head winds. Deputy Russian Finance Minister Sergei Storchak said it is not clear whether a $100 million payment due from Venezuela in March will arrive on time.

“There will probably be some problems,” Storchak told reporters, according to the Interfax news agency. “It'll all depend on the army, on the servicemen, how loyal they prove to be.”

Russia pockets key energy assets in Venezuela in exchange for cash bailouts

Russia spent billions to gain influence in Venezuela. Now it faces a bet gone bad

The divide in Venezuela: Who’s supporting Maduro, and who’s following the U.S. lead

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news</s>International challenges to the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro's government began to bite harder on Tuesday as the United States handed control over Venezuela's U.S. bank accounts to opposition challenger Juan Guaido and Russia announced it expects Venezuela to have problems paying its debts.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Guaido, the congressional leader who has declared himself interim president, has authority to take control of bank accounts that Venezuela's government has in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any other U.S.-insured banks.

Pompeo said the certification will “help Venezuela's legitimate government safeguard those assets for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.”

Guaido has been recognized as the nation's rightful leader by two dozen nations that contend the re-election of socialist President Nicolas Maduro was a sham, in part because his strongest opponents were barred from running.

Violent street demonstrations erupted last week when Guaido during a massive opposition rally in Caracas declared that he had assumed presidential powers and planned to hold fresh elections, ending Maduro's “dictatorship.”

The United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Paraguay have officially acknowledged Guaido as the legitimate interim head of Venezuela, while countries including Russia and China back Maduro.

Inside Venezuela, Maduro holds the reins of power with the armed forces still loyal despite an opposition push to lure their support by proposing amnesty for anybody who supports Guaido's transitional government.

Maduro accuses the United States of leading an open coup to oust him and exploit Venezuela's oil reserves, the largest in the world.

On Monday, the U.S. hit Venezuela's state-owned oil company with sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Maduro to leave office.

Guaido said in an interview with CNN in Spanish on Monday that Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress had approved a measure asking foreign nations to ensure the country's assets aren't “looted” by Maduro.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak told Russian state news agencies Tuesday “there will probably be problems” for Venezuela in paying its debts.

Storchak said Venezuela owes Russia $3 billion, with repayments twice a year of around $100 million, with the next due in March. Russia also has extensive commercial interests in Venezuela, including state oil company Rosneft's partnership with Petroleos de Venezuela SA, which was placed under U.S. sanctions Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin shares the view of the Venezuelan government that the sanctions are “illegal” and sees them as a tool of unfair competition on part of the United States.

In Spain, state-owned shipbuilder Navantia said it has called back four Spanish technicians from Venezuela who were readying for final delivery a navy patrol ship sold 14 years ago to the Venezuelan government.

A company spokesman said the recall doesn't change the shipbuilder's plan to deliver the vessel, which is called Eternal Commander Hugo Chavez. It is the last of eight similar ships that the former Venezuelan leader bought from Spain in 2005 for $1.4 billion.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - International challenges to the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro's government began to bite harder on Tuesday as the United States handed control over Venezuela's U.S. bank accounts to opposition challenger Juan Guaido and Russia announced it expects Venezuela to have problems paying its debts.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Guaido, the congressional leader who has declared himself interim president, has authority to take control of bank accounts that Venezuela's government has in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any other U.S.-insured banks.

Pompeo said the certification will "help Venezuela's legitimate government safeguard those assets for the benefit of the Venezuelan people."

Guaido has been recognized as the nation's rightful leader by two dozen nations that contend the re-election of socialist President Nicolas Maduro was a sham, in part because his strongest opponents were barred from running.

Violent street demonstrations erupted last week when Guaido during a massive opposition rally in Caracas declared that he had assumed presidential powers and planned to hold fresh elections, ending Maduro's "dictatorship."

The United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Paraguay have officially acknowledged Guaido as the legitimate interim head of Venezuela, while countries including Russia and China back Maduro.

Inside Venezuela, Maduro holds the reins of power with the armed forces still loyal despite an opposition push to lure their support by proposing amnesty for anybody who supports Guaido's transitional government.

Maduro accuses the United States of leading an open coup to oust him and exploit Venezuela's oil reserves, the largest in the world.

On Monday, the U.S. hit Venezuela's state-owned oil company with sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Maduro to leave office.

Guaido said in an interview with CNN in Spanish on Monday that Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress had approved a measure asking foreign nations to ensure the country's assets aren't "looted" by Maduro.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak told Russian state news agencies Tuesday "there will probably be problems" for Venezuela in paying its debts.

Storchak said Venezuela owes Russia $3 billion, with repayments twice a year of around $100 million, with the next due in March. Russia also has extensive commercial interests in Venezuela, including state oil company Rosneft's partnership with Petroleos de Venezuela SA, which was placed under U.S. sanctions Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin shares the view of the Venezuelan government that the sanctions are "illegal" and sees them as a tool of unfair competition on part of the United States.

In Spain, state-owned shipbuilder Navantia said it has called back four Spanish technicians from Venezuela who were readying for final delivery a navy patrol ship sold 14 years ago to the Venezuelan government.

A company spokesman said the recall doesn't change the shipbuilder's plan to deliver the vessel, which is called Eternal Commander Hugo Chavez. It is the last of eight similar ships that the former Venezuelan leader bought from Spain in 2005 for $1.4 billion.</s>International challenges to the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro's government began to bite harder on Tuesday as the United States handed control over Venezuela's U.S. bank accounts to opposition challenger Juan Guaido and Russia announced it expects Venezuela to have problems paying its debts.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Guaido, the congressional leader who has declared himself interim president, has authority to take control of bank accounts that Venezuela's government has in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any other U.S.-insured banks.

Pompeo said the certification will "help Venezuela's legitimate government safeguard those assets for the benefit of the Venezuelan people."

Guaido has been recognized as the nation's rightful leader by two dozen nations that contend the re-election of socialist President Nicolas Maduro was a sham, in part because his strongest opponents were barred from running.

Violent street demonstrations erupted last week when Guaido during a massive opposition rally in Caracas declared that he had assumed presidential powers and planned to hold fresh elections, ending Maduro's "dictatorship."

The United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Paraguay have officially acknowledged Guaido as the legitimate interim head of Venezuela, while countries including Russia and China back Maduro.

Inside Venezuela, Maduro holds the reins of power with the armed forces still loyal despite an opposition push to lure their support by proposing amnesty for anybody who supports Guaido's transitional government.

Maduro accuses the United States of leading an open coup to oust him and exploit Venezuela's oil reserves, the largest in the world.

On Monday, the U.S. hit Venezuela's state-owned oil company with sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Maduro to leave office.

Guaido said in an interview with CNN in Spanish on Monday that Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress had approved a measure asking foreign nations to ensure the country's assets aren't "looted" by Maduro.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak told Russian state news agencies Tuesday "there will probably be problems" for Venezuela in paying its debts.

Storchak said Venezuela owes Russia $3 billion, with repayments twice a year of around $100 million, with the next due in March. Russia also has extensive commercial interests in Venezuela, including state oil company Rosneft's partnership with Petroleos de Venezuela SA, which was placed under U.S. sanctions Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin shares the view of the Venezuelan government that the sanctions are "illegal" and sees them as a tool of unfair competition on part of the United States.

In Spain, state-owned shipbuilder Navantia said it has called back four Spanish technicians from Venezuela who were readying for final delivery a navy patrol ship sold 14 years ago to the Venezuelan government.

A company spokesman said the recall doesn't change the shipbuilder's plan to deliver the vessel, which is called Eternal Commander Hugo Chavez. It is the last of eight similar ships that the former Venezuelan leader bought from Spain in 2005 for $1.4 billion.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov denies the presence of Russian mercenaries in Venezuela, despite earlier reports that up to 100 may have been deployed to protect President Nicolás Maduro.