Relations between the US and Venezuela have taken a new turn, as President Nicolas Maduro announced he will limit the number of US diplomats in the country and establish visa fees.

He said the move was necessary due American ‘meddling’ in the nation’s affairs. It comes after his government detained US citizens, inlcuding a pilot, on suspicion of espionage.

Speaking at what he called the Great Anti-imperialist March in the capital Caracas he said, “I’ve ordered the Foreign Minister to immediately process, in accordance with Article 11.1 of the Vienna Convention, to review, reduce, adjust and limit the number of U.S. officials at the embassy in Venezuela.”

The president said that the US had 100 diplomatic staff working in the country in comparison with Venezuela’s 17 based in America.

He also slapped a ban on George W Bush and Dick Cheney from entering the country, calling them ‘terrorists’.

Maduro has renewed accusations that the US is seeking to oust him from power. The all