Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro ordered his foreign ministry to reduce the number of U.S. officials allowed to work at their embassy in Caracas.
U.S. officials who remain in the country will be required to obtain approval for any meetings they hold in the country, Maduro said Saturday in a national address on state television. He presented a folder during the speech that he said contained evidence embassy officials were working to destabilize the South American country.
U.S. citizens who travel to Venezuela now will be required to obtain visas, Maduro said, adding that some U.S. officials will be banned. Maduro has repeatedly accused the U.S. of promoting plans to overthrow his government over the past month.
The U.S. State Department said Feb. 19 that accusations it was involved in coup plotting were “baseless and false.”