BOGOTA, Colombia — In a meeting with regional leaders, Vice President Mike Pence on Monday announced modest new U.S. sanctions against loyalists of President Nicolas Maduro and called on other nations to follow the Trump administration’s lead in freezing the assets of Venezuela’s state oil giant PDVSA — a move meant to further cut Maduro’s international cash flow.
Following a weekend that saw the Venezuela military and pro-government militias violently put down an opposition attempt to break Maduro’s blockade of humanitarian aid, Pence arrived in Bogota to reiterate that Washington will not back away from diplomatic confrontation. His trip comes as some in the Venezuelan opposition have begun openly calling for the use of “force” to oust Maduro’s socialists from power.
Pence did not publicly back immediate military force, but reiterated a long standing administration stance that all options were being considered.
“As we continue to bring economic and diplomatic pressure to bear on the Maduro regime, we hope for a peaceful transition to democracy, but as President Trump has made clear, all options are on the table,” Pence said.
Pence addressed a 14-nation diplomatic consortium called the Lima Group. The group cannot compel Maduro to leave but is seen as the most influential body to back his opponent.
Earlier in the day, Pence met with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and Latin American nations that support his challenge to Maduro.
Guaido declared himself the rightful interim leader in January, and the United States was the first to recognize him.
“President Guaido, we admire your courage,” Pence said as he posed for photographs with the young Venezuelan and Colombian President Ivan Duque.
“I want to assure you, President Guaido, the tragic events of this last weekend have only steeled the resolve of the United States,” Pence said.
Guaido thanked Pence and President Donald Trump and vowed to continue trying to move humanitarian aid and oppose Maduro.
“The dilemma is not between war and peace — we all want peace,” he said through an interpreter. “Peace is not committing massacres against populations of indigenous people,” Guaid0 said.
In a sign of the increasing tensions, senior opposition politician Julio Borges tweeted Sunday night that during the Lima Group, the opposition will ask foreign powers “to step up diplomatic pressure and the use of force against the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro.”
Pence’s addressed followed an announcement by the Treasury Department on Monday that it is sanctioning four Venezuelan governors aligned with Maduro, saying they are corrupt and had facilitated the blockade of humanitarian aid to the country over the weekend.
“The illegitimate Maduro regime’s attempts to blockade international aid intended for the Venezuelan people are shameful,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a release. “Treasury is targeting four state governors aligned with former President Maduro for standing in the way of severely needed humanitarian assistance and prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people.
Sanctions were placed on two governors who head states on the border with Colombia.
Omar Jose Prieto Fernandez is governor of Zulia, which the Treasury Department characterized as a hub for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder-for-hire. Prieto recently said he would declare independence if a transition government takes power in Venezuela.
Ramon Alonso Carrizalez Rengifo, is the governor of Apure. The Treasury Department said he had “endorsed” threats of violence against opposition protesters.
Also sanctioned were Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro, the governor of Vargas who has rejected Guaido as interim president, and Rafael Alejandro Lacava Evangelista, the governor of Carabobo. The Treasury Department described Lacava as a Maduro intermediary involved in hiding overseas.
The once-wealthy nation is already reeling from hyperinflation and international penalties, and some 3 million Venezuelans have fled the country.
Pence will meet later Monday with Venezuelan refugee families living here. Colombia has taken in more than 1 million refugees.
Washington Post writer John Wagner contributed to this report.