US President Donald Trump met with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, CNN reported.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump will welcome Interim President Juan Guaidó of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the White House," a White House press statement said just hours before the planned meeting. "The visit is an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to the people of Venezuela and to discuss how we can work with President Guaidó to expedite a democratic transition in Venezuela that will end the ongoing crisis."

A spokesman for the US administration said that Washington will take new action against Venezuela in the next 30 days. Earlier, the US Treasury Department expanded the list of sanctions against Venezuela at the expense of seven citizens of the country, including well-known parliamentarians, such as Luis Parra, who was elected to the post of speaker of the Venezuelan parliament instead of Guaido, who illegally declared himself the interim head of state.

Mass protests began against President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, on January 21, 2019 shortly after being sworn in. The head of the National Assembly, controlled by the opposition, Juan Guaido illegally proclaimed himself the interim head of state. A number of Western countries led by the US recognized him. While Russia, China, Turkey and several other countries supported Maduro as a legitimate president.