President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the closure of Venezuela's border with Brazil "until further notice" amid a tense standoff with the US-backed opposition leader, Juan Guaido, over allowing in humanitarian aid. Photo: Internet Source

The border with Brazil would be "completely and absolutely" closed from 8pm (00:00 GMT) onwards, Maduro said in a televised address on Thursday, February 19, 2019.

The embattled leader said he was also considering a "total closure of the border with Colombia", where he has already ordered the military to barricade a major border bridge to prevent aid from entering the country from the Colombian border town of Cucuta where supplies are being stockpiled, most of it from the United States.

Calling the aid a "provocation" and a "child's game", Maduro suggested it was a precursor to a US military intervention in the oil-rich, but economically crippled the Latin American country.

"[The US] aimed to generate a huge national mess, but they didn't succeed. The country wants peace," he said, surrounded by members of the military.