Pompeo Says ‘More Sanctions to Be Had’ to Pressure Venezuela

(Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said more sanctions are possible on Venezuela without offering specifics on what measures the U.S. may be planning.

Further action against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government will be contemplated when regional leaders meet in Bogota, Colombia, on Monday, Pompeo said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Vice President Mike Pence will meet with Juan Guaido, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, at the Lima Group meeting, a person familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Just hours after attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuela failed, the country’s opposition and U.S. allies suggested a more forceful multilateral move against Maduro.

Pompeo leaves Washington later on Sunday bound for Vietnam, where he’ll attend the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

In a press statement late Saturday, Pompeo called Guaido and the Venezuelan people “an inspiration to the world,” and urged Maduro to let humanitarian aid flow into the country.

While Guaido “builds distribution networks for humanitarian assistance, Maduro blocks its entry and sends armed criminal gangs to attack the innocent civilians accompanying the convoys,” Pompeo said in the statement.

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