© RIA Novosti. Sergey Guneev
"[The United States] are accusing Venezuela of being a threat to their security, that is called a declaration of war...this is as serious as the blockade against Cuba," Ortega said at the ceremony commemorating the anniversary of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's death as quoted by the Noticias24 news website.
In March 2015, US President Barack Obama issued an executive order imposing sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials, freezing their assets and banning them from entering the United States. Obama described "erosion" of human rights guarantees in Venezuela as an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the US security.
In response, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said in the light of the US decision Caracas would reconsider its bilateral ties with Washington.
Comment: Venezuela is currently in an economic crisis due largely to the crash in oil prices. This situation, which some analysts believe was a strategy aimed at pressuring Russia, has also been used by opposition figures in Venezuela to push back hard against everything that Chavez and his supporters worked for. The situation is dark for Venezuela.
Further reading: Death of Chavismo in Venezuela: Election of right-wingers heralds privatization, pillage, and pro-Americanism