Austria declares support for Guaidó as president of Venezuela.

Sputnik Brazil - The Austrian chancellor stated that he spoke with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó and is preparing to join the group of several other European Union nations that recognize Guaidó as interim president.

European countries such as Germany, France, Spain, and Great Britain have given President Nicolás Maduro's government an eight-day ultimatum to call new presidential elections.

The deadline ends this Sunday, and if a new election is not called, the countries will adopt the same stance as the United States — which recognizes Guaidó as interim president.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz wrote on Twitter that he had "a great phone call with President @jguaido [Juan Guaidó]" and said: "He has our full support to restore democracy."

Kurz added that "If Maduro does not respond to the EU's call for free and fair presidential elections, we will recognize and support Juan Guaidó as interim president."

The European Union says a newly formed "International Contact Group" of European and Latin American countries will hold its first meeting in Uruguay on Thursday to discuss the crisis in Venezuela.

A joint statement from the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez stated that the meeting in Montevideo will be held at the ministerial level.

The group includes the EU and eight of its member countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Great Britain — as well as Latin American countries such as Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Uruguay.

Their stated goal is "to contribute to creating conditions for a peaceful political process to emerge, allowing Venezuelans to determine their own future" through free and reliable elections.