
The Joe Biden’s administration is granting temporary protected status to Venezuelans living in the United States and is also working to coordinate international pressure against president Nicolas Maduro to hold free and fair elections, senior U.S. officials said on Monday.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores have received their first doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Venezuelan state television reported, while the country received a second shipment of the vaccine.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Wednesday that he would support naming a new electoral council but cautioned its members should not be chosen unilaterally by the National Assembly currently held by the ruling socialist party of President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela’s Penal Forum estimates that Nearly three-quarters of all political detainees are awaiting trial for more than two years, the group said on Monday, arguing it is a sign that authorities use pretrial detention as a punishment.

The new administration of president Joe Biden is in “no rush” to lift U.S. sanctions on Venezuela but would consider easing them if President Nicolas Maduro takes confidence-building steps showing he is ready to negotiate seriously with the opposition, according to White House sources.

The European Union has declared Venezuela's ambassador in Brussels as a persona non grata in a tit-for-tat diplomatic move. A EU statement said member states had agreed that Venezuela's ambassador would no longer be welcome as an envoy to the bloc.

Venezuela announced on Wednesday that the head of the European Union's delegation in Caracas had 72 hours to leave the country and declared her persona non grata after the bloc imposed new sanctions on Venezuelan officials this week.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Monday denounced international sanctions against his country, saying they have limited the government’s ability to fight the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis. European Union foreign ministers on Monday imposed new sanctions on 19 leading Venezuelan officials.

The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on 19 senior Venezuelan officials, lawmakers and members of the security forces in response to December's legislative election that the bloc said was rigged in favor of President Nicolas Maduro.

AP – The European Union called for broad political talks in Venezuela to set up new elections and warned that it stands ready to slap sanctions on more senior Venezuelan officials in the country if they undermine democracy or take part in human rights violations.