Guyana has stated that it will not hold talks with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro regarding the sovereignty of the Essequibo region. Maduro unilaterally annexed the area and even created a Venezuelan state to govern it — an action that has not been recognized by any other nation. He has repeatedly threatened to invade Guyana and seize the region by force, but recently, the Trump administration declared that if such an invasion occurs, the United States will intervene directly.