WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2020) The United States will impose impactful measures against the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro within the next 30 days, a senior US administration official said during a conference call on Wednesday.
"You will see some impactful measures within the next 30 days, which will be very important and further crippling on the regime," the official said.
The official added that Venezuela has become a national security priority for the Trump administration. The United States is confident that increased pressure on the Maduro government will create the opportunity for a transition of power, the official said.
US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido are scheduled to meet at 2:15 p.m. EST (7:15 p.m. GMT) on Wednesday at the White House to discuss facilitating a transition of government in Venezuela.
Venezuela has been suffering from a severe political crisis since the beginning of last year, when Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, proclaimed himself an interim president of Venezuela in a bid to oust reelected Maduro from power.
Maduro has said Guaido is a US puppet working with Washington to orchestrate a coup so that the United States can control Venezuela's natural resources.
Since 2017, according to a study co-authored by renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs, more than 40,000 Venezuelans have died as the result of US sanctions. The study, released last May, found that the sanctions have dramatically reduced the availability of food, medicine and medical supplies inside the country.
Maduro has said Guaido is a US puppet working with Washington to orchestrate a coup so that the United States can control Venezuela's natural resources. In addition to the Trump administration, only about 50 other countries - all US allies - have recognized Guaido.
