Maduro: US Sanctions on Central Bank to Strengthen Venezuela Even More

CARACAS (Sputnik) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that new US sanctions, which are restricting the ability of Caracas to handle international financial transactions, will give the country even more strength.

"Your sanctions are completely immoral. Central banks are sacred… Let me say that sanctions give us even more strength," Maduro said in a televised address.

According to the Venezuelan leader, the Central Bank of Venezuela will finally be able to overcome these sanctions.

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On Wednesday, the United States introduced new sanctions against Venezuela, targeting the country's Central Bank and its director. US National Security Adviser John Bolton said that this move should send a strong warning to external actors, including Russia, against deploying military assets to Venezuela to support Maduro.

Venezuela’s acute economic crisis worsened as the United States imposed several rounds of sanctions against the country after opposition leader Juan Guaido illegally declared himself interim president in late January. In addition, Washington, after recognizing Guaido, immediately seized billions of dollars’ worth of Venezuela’s oil assets.

Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet so that Washington can take control of Venezuela’s oil resources. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.