Venezuelan officials will close the land border with Brazil, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro stated on Thursday, TASS reported.

"Starting February 21, 20:00, the land border with Brazil will be fully closed," he said during a speech transmitted via Periscope.

According to Maduro, the closing of the border is a preventive measure necessary for the country’s security. "The border will remain closed until further notice," he added.

Earlier, Brazilian Presidential Spokesman Otavio Santana do Rego Barros informed that Brazil would establish a special group dealing with humanitarian aid deliveries to the Venezuelan border. At the request of Venezuela’s opposition, other countries plan to send humanitarian aid to the republic as well.

Maduro deemed the initiative to deliver humanitarian aid to the country "a bad and cheap show of oligarchy" and called on the citizens to refuse it.