Opposition Leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself interim president, has warned many Venezuelans are in danger of dying without global aid.
Romania's president has officially recognized Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president nearly a week after other European Union countries recognized him.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, speaks during a meeting with students in Caracas, Venezuela February 8, 2019.
Under Maduro's stewardship, Venezuela's economy has collapsed leaving the country wracked by hyperinflation, recession and shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicine.
For the moment, Venezuela's troops haven't needed to use force to turn away US aid, but Gunson worries the USA - which hasn't ruled out the possible use of military force - is needlessly raising tensions.
In the Colombian border town of Cucuta, where the first USA aid arrived Thursday, the American ambassador called on the Venezuelan security forces to allow the aid in.
"The package is very nice on the outside: humanitarian aid".
It's unclear what will break the standoff playing out at the Venezuela-Colombia border.
"While I cannot name names because visa information is protected, I can state that we will continue to take action against those destroying Venezuela's democratic institutions", he said. Mendoza reiterated that Maduro had been re-elected by a popular vote of 67.8 percent in last year's election, which the opposition coalition voluntarily boycotted, taking to the streets instead.
Estimates of how many Venezuelans have left their home country during the tenures of former President Hugo Chavez and current leader Maduro vary widely, with some opponents and academics putting the figure at 4 million.
Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey stood up for Maduro's support.
Several other countries - including Russian Federation and Turkey - are backing Maduro as the legitimately elected president, and have denounced Washington's actions as attempts to foment a coup.
"This is a macabre game: we squeeze them by the neck and make them ask for crumbs". But it is not clear when or whether the aid will reach people inside the country.
Maduro has refused the aid, disavowing any humanitarian crisis and saying Venezuela is not a country of beggars.
"We're going to open a humanitarian corridor and the doors to freedom", he told journalists.
Right before Maduro's inauguration on January 10, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on seven Venezuelan individuals and 23 entities, accusing them of involvement in a corruption scheme.
He claims his legitimacy from the constitution, but Maduro - labeled a dictator by the West and his Latin American neighbors - insists his re-election previous year was constitutional.
Lester Toledo, who is representing opposition leader Juan Guaido in the aid mission, issued a message to troops, telling them the aid contains food and medicine their own families need.
"We believe these to be those first couple pebbles before we start really seeing bigger rocks rolling down the hill", the official said this week, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Maduro rejected, however, the EU-backed contact groups as biased, stating that the bloc is "deaf", as it would not listen to Venezuela.
At the same time, the Trump administration is readying further possible sanctions on Venezuela, the official said.
Earlier, Maduro vowed not to let in "fake humanitarian aid" and claimed Venezuela's crisis has been "fabricated by Washington" to justify intervention. "This body has usurped numerous constitutional powers of the legitimate National Assembly, and embodies [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro's destruction of democratic institutions".
Recommended:
-
Police Searching for Escaped Prisoner in Conroe; Considered Extremely Dangerous
Prisoner Transportation on Thursday morning for extradition to Texas , the CBS affiliate reported. Marks eluded the private transport agents near the 800 block of North Loop 336 West in Conroe.Bye Bye Winter? Punxsutawney Phil Predicts an Early Spring on Groundhog Day
Overall, the Post says, "Much like how you won your last coin toss, Phil is "right" in these regions because of chance". In 1886, Groundhog Day first appeared in the Punxsutawney newspaper, but there is no record of his prediction.Russian Federation withdrawing from nuclear arms treaty following U.S. move
That agreement, which caps the number of nuclear warheads held by Washington and Moscow, expires in 2021. But Moscow has insisted the disputed 9M729 missile is allowed under the treaty. -
Minnesota School Bus Driver Shot In The Head During Snow Storm Traffic
On Thursday, Brown's office charged Lilly with attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault with a unsafe weapon. Minneapolis Public Schools confirmed one of its students was on the bus at the time of the incident and was unharmed.Fact Check: Annotated State Of The Union Address And Democratic Response
Despite the shutdown, the USA economy added a robust 304,000 jobs in January, marking 100 straight months of job growth. Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren? Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, delivered the party's response to Trump.Trump says United States backs Venezuela's 'quest for freedom': speech excerpts
This weekend he plans to oversee a deliberate provocation of the military by ordering in supplies of humanitarian aid. Maduro, in response, announced the severing of diplomatic and political ties with the United States. -
Wells Fargo bank customers should be able to access their accounts again
The outage affected Wells Fargo customers all around the USA , with all of the coastal areas experiencing the heaviest issues. The same month, Wells Fargo blamed a computer glitch for an error affecting an estimated 545 customers who lost their homes.Venezuela: Guaidó Seeks Support from Russia, China as Maduro Gov't Remains Defiant
A sea of people can be seen flooding a kilometers-long stretch of Bolivar Avenue in downtown Caracas to listen to Maduro's speech. As of late Thursday, the 20 tons had yet to leave the central bank, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.Scorpions and crickets on the menu at Super Bowl Opening Night
Memorial Stadium, always keeps the facility "in tip top shape" for the footballers. "He has such a special soul", he explained. And then the one against Pittsburgh later, we were down 10 at halftime, took the lead with two minutes to go in the game. -
Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas ready to return from dislocated thumb
Toronto is under added pressure with a chance to convince Leonard to remain in town when he becomes a free agent in the offseason. He has missed Toronto's last 25 games. "I miss him already".Jury set to deliberate fate of alleged Mexican cartel boss 'El Chapo'
He is being tried for 11 trafficking, firearms and money laundering charges and is likely to face life behind bars if convicted. Guzman, 61, has been on trial since November, when he was extradited to the United States to face a litany of charges.Getting closer to declaring a national emergency: Donald Trump
Trump said his aversion to letting his son play football is because "it's a risky sport and I think it's really tough". Enough drugs were contained in the shipment to kill millions of people. "We're building the wall".