WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2020) The United States is not ruling out sanctions against Russian oil company Rosneft for its cooperation with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government, a senior US administration official said during a conference call on Wednesday.
"Absolutely, everything is an option as regards [to] creating pressure, whether it's towards a Russia entity that is supporting Maduro or others," the official said when asked if the United States is considering an option to impose sanctions on Rosneft.
The official said the Trump administration is concerned about Rosneft's activities in Venezuela and the company should be cautious of any activities that are in support of the Maduro government.
The US government plans to impose "impactful" measures against the Maduro government within the next 30 days, 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.
Only about 50 countries, all US allies, have recognized Guaido, but numerous others, including Russia, China and Turkey, have backed Maduro as the sole legitimate president of Venezuela.
