The U.S. and its allies imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials following Maduro's inauguration.

On Friday, the United States imposed new sanctions on eight Venezuelan officials. Concurrently, the U.S. raised the reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $25 million, coinciding with the day of his inauguration for a third term.

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters.

The new restrictions are the latest in a series of punitive measures by the outgoing Biden administration against Maduro's government, following the elections in July, which his Socialist Party and the National Electoral Council claimed he won.

When Washington announced the new sanctions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the inauguration that took place on January 10 illegal, stating that the U.S. "does not recognize Nicolás Maduro as the president of Venezuela."

The actions of the U.S. were coordinated with statements from Britain and the EU, targeting 15 Venezuelan officials, including members of the National Electoral Council and security forces. Canada also imposed sanctions against Venezuela.

"The United States, along with our like-minded partners, expresses solidarity with the Venezuelan people's vote for new leadership and rejects Maduro's fraudulent claims of victory," said Acting Deputy Treasury Secretary Bradley Smith.

Reuters notes that Maduro and his aides have always dismissed the sanctions from the U.S. and other countries, claiming that these are illegal measures equivalent to an "economic war" aimed at harming Venezuela.

"The outgoing government of the United States doesn't know how to take revenge on us," Maduro stated in his inaugural speech.

Recall that yesterday, on January 10, an inauguration ceremony for Nicolás Maduro took place in Venezuela. He has taken on the role of head of state for the third time.

The presidential elections in the country were held back in July 2024. The opposition claimed that their candidate, Edmundo González, actually won and, in turn, did not recognize the results that were officially announced.

We also reported that prior to this, in September 2024, the U.S. imposed sanctions against 16 of Maduro's allies. These measures were a response to the falsification of election results and the government's repression against the opposition.