Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Sunday rejected an ultimatum from the UK and four other European countries giving him eight days to call new elections, describing the move as "complete insolence".
On Saturday, the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands said that if Mr Maduro did not call a vote within that time-frame, they would join others in formally recognising the head of Venezuela’s parliament as the legitimate president.
In his first interview since the intense leadership struggle began last week, Mr Maduro branded the European countries’ actions a "mistake".
"Venezuela is not tied to Europe. This is complete insolence," he told CNN’s Turkish channel.
Regional powers such as…