US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Wednesday night that Nicolas Maduro has no legal authority to sever diplomatic ties with the United States because Washington does not recognize his government. He also said that the US government will not withdraw its diplomats from Venezuela, which means ignoring an order issued earlier by Maduro.
Pompeo's announcement came hours after the United States recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela. It was this decision that led Maduro to order American diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours.
Guaidó, in turn, asked the United States and other countries to maintain their diplomatic representations in Caracas.
