Nicolás Maduro

U.S. President Donald Trump has said military intervention in Venezuela was "an option" as Western nations boost pressure on socialist leader Nicolas Maduro to step down, while the troubled OPEC nation's ally Russia warned against "destructive meddling."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro proposed early parliamentary elections on Feb. 2, seeking to shore up his crumbling rule after a senior general defected to the opposition and tens of thousands thronged the streets in protest at his government.

Two SYRIZA MEPs voted against a European Parliament motion to recognize Venezuela's self-declared interim president Juan Guaido as de facto head of state on Thursday, urging the bloc's 28 governments to also consider the opposition leader as "the only legitimate interim president" until there were "new free, transparent and credible presidential elections" in the troubled Latin American nation.

The European Parliament recognized Venezuela's self-declared interim president Juan Guaido as the de-facto head of state on Thursday, a symbolic step that lawmakers said was designed to keep pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.

EU lawmakers voted in a non-binding resolution to recognize Guaido as interim leader and called on all EU governments to follow suit.

More than a week into a standoff with the opposition, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday that he is willing to negotiate.

Greece has called for "political dialogue" to end the crisis in Venezuela where opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared himself the country's president after mass protests against Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attends a meeting with members of the Venezuelan diplomatic corp after their arrival from the United States, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas on Jan. 28. (Miraflores Palace / Handout via Reuters)

Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim leader, Juan Guaido, has reportedly called on the Greek government to side with the European Union in pressuring President Nicolas Maduro to hold free and fair elections soon, according to an interview with Greek TV station Skai on Monday.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro oversaw a display of the army's Russian hardware on Jan. 27, with anti-aircraft flak and tank rounds pounding a hillside to show military force and loyalty in the face of an international ultimatum for new elections.

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 27 vowed to find a solution to the political problems in the country with the help of the supreme judicial bodies, saying that he is open to dialogue after an opposition leader declared himself "acting president", and found support from the United States and several European and South American countries.