President of Venezuela Announces Diplomatic Sanctions Against U.S.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (AP/Pavel Golovkin)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Saturday that fewer U.S. diplomats will be allowed to work in the country and visas will be required for Americans traveling there, in what amounts to a sign of deteriorating relations between the two countries.

The Guardian reports:

Maduro also said that any meetings between US diplomats and Venezuelans would have to be “authorised” by the Venezuelan government.

The president said he decided to require visas for US citizens after the capture of an American pilot of Latin American descent in the state of Táchira, in western Venezuela. He said the pilot, whom he did not identify, was suspected of spying – though he did not provide details.

Maduro has accused the US of working with groups critical of his government to plot a coup against him, charges Washington has denied.