President Donald Trump urged the European Union to join in imposing sanctions on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a news conference with Spain's prime minister at the White House.
"We hope the friends in the EU join us in imposing sanctions against the Maduro regime. The citizens of Venezuela have endured political unrest in Maduro’s socialist regime," he said.
On Monday, Venezuelan foreign ministry accused Washington of “political and psychological terrorism,” responding to the addition of Venezuela to the US travel ban.
Restrictions on Venezuela cited a “terrorism threat” and concerns only “government officials of Venezuela who are responsible for the identified inadequacies” in immigration screening and vetting procedures.
The travel ban is a new act of “aggression” against Caracas, Venezuela's foreign minister Jorge Arreaza told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
“The US are constantly attacking us, there was new aggression yesterday, related to the visas for diplomats and their families,” Arreaza said. “This madness should be stopped.”
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Trump added Venezuela to a new travel ban along with North Korea on September 25. The new restrictions are set to take effect on October 18.
Earlier, the US president denounced the Venezuelan government as a “socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro” in his speech at the UN General Assembly. Trump warned that the US is ready to move beyond sanctions and “take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.”
In response, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro dubbed Trump “the new Hitler of international politics” and condemned his “aggression against the people of Venezuela.”