The US President in a telephone conversation congratulated the leader of the Venezuelan opposition Juan Guaido, who proclaimed himself the interim head of the country, with the beginning of the presidency. This is with reference to the statement of the White House reports Free News.

Trump called “to congratulate him on his historic assumption of the office of the President”, as well as to “strengthen strong support for Venezuela’s struggle for the restoration of democracy,” the newspaper quoted the statement of White House speaker Sarah Sanders.

Guaido, in response, thanked Trump and noted the importance of the protests organized by the opposition in Venezuela. ​Trump and Guaido agreed to maintain regular contacts, the White House said.

Guaido wrote about the conversation on his Twitter: “I appreciate the call of the US President Donald Trump, who reiterated his full support for our work to achieve democracy.”

Complicated by the protracted economic and political crisis, the situation in Venezuela deteriorated in early January. The results of the last presidential elections held in the country were not recognized by the Venezuelan opposition, as well as by some Western and Latin American countries. In their opinion, some players were not allowed to participate in the campaign, which means that the victory of Nicolas Maduro can not be considered legitimate.

During the rally local opposition on January 23, the speaker of the National Assembly of Venezuela Juan Guaido declared himself the President and announced his intention to hold new elections.

In this he was supported by the United States, Canada, Georgia and almost all Latin American countries. In Venezuela, mass protests and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officials continue. The current head of state Nicolas Maduro accused the opposition and the US of trying to seize power.

Russia still considers the legitimate President Nicolas Maduro. Commenting on the events in this country, Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the United States took an open course to overthrow the legitimate authorities in Venezuela. Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov warned that the intervention will lead to inevitable extremely negative consequences.