Venezuela condemns EU sanctions against seven officials

CARACAS: President Nicolas Maduro's government condemned European Union sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials Monday, accusing the bloc of subservience to the "supremacist and racist" US government.

"The European Union once again offers irrefutable proof of its remarkable subordination to the supremacist and racist government of Donald Trump," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The EU blacklisted seven senior Venezuelan officials over human rights violations earlier Monday, including the interior minister, the intelligence chief, the attorney general, the head of the body that oversees elections and the ruling socialist party's number two.

"These individuals are involved in the non-respect of democratic principles or the rule of law as well as in the violation of human rights," the EU said in a statement.

The US also has announced a series of sanctions against Venezuela as Maduro has consolidated power, undercutting the opposition-dominated legislature with a new assembly amid a crackdown on opponents.

Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, is in the throes of a crisis exacerbated by falling oil prices, spiraling inflation, and corruption.