​Caracas, January 5 (RHC)-- The United States, Britain and some European Union states have rejected Venezuela’s appeal to unfreeze its sanctioned assets in order to purchase the much-needed coronavirus vaccine, the nation’s President Nicolas Maduro has unveiled.

"The governments of Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the U.S. and their financial institutions have frozen and blocked funds for access to a vaccine.  We have asked that the World Trade Organization provide us with access to funds, and we were refused," Maduro said.

Noting that his request to use the country’s foreign assets as a means of purchasing COVID-19 vaccines had been denied by the four Western governments, the Venezuelan president further explained that Vice President Delcy Rodriquez had held talks with the foreign ministers of Portugal, Spain, the UK and the United States, who rejected the humanitarian request.

Last week, Maduro announced that Venezuela had reached a deal with Russia for the supply of 10 million doses of Sputnik V, the Russian COVID-19 vaccine.  In their persisting bid to overthrow Venezuela’s elected president, Washington has led its European and Latin American allies to impose brutal financial sanctions on Venezuela as well as other destabilizing measures to force Maudro out of power, including multiple coup and assassination attempts.