Venezuela says it has halted a bid to improve ties with the United States in response to the comments of President Obama’s nominee for U.N. ambassador. At her Senate confirmation hearing last week, Samantha Power vowed to confront a “crackdown on civil society” in countries including Venezuela. In a statement, the Venezuelan government announced it would abandon talks with the U.S., saying it “will never accept interference” in its internal affairs. The United States and Venezuela had launched reconciliation efforts last month with a meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry and Venezuela’s foreign minister in Guatemala.