Nicolas Maduro’s government backtracked on an order that gave US Embassy personnel 72 hours to leave Venezuela, defusing tensions between the countries just hours after their top diplomats traded heated rhetoric at a special UN Security Council meeting to address the South American country’s crisis.

Maduro broke relations with the United States on Wednesday after the Trump administration recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, a move the embattled socialist described as a “vile” coup attempt.

Maduro gave American diplomats three days to leave the country, but the Trump administration refused to obey his order, arguing that the leftist leader was no longer Venezuela’s legitimate president. That set the stage for a potentially violent showdown at the hilltop Embassy compound on Saturday night, when the deadline was to expire.

But as the sun set on Venezuela’s capital, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the Maduro government had opened a 30-day window to negotiate with the Trump administration the establishment of a “US interests office” in Venezuela, and a similar office for Venezuela in the United States.

The State Department did not immediately confirm the Venezuelan government’s account, reiterating only that its priority remains the safety of its personnel and that it has no plans to close the embassy. “That is true diplomacy,” Maduro said after reading out the statement on national television.

Pompeo told the UN Security Council that it’s beyond time to back the Venezuelan people as they try to free themselves from what he called Maduro’s “illegitimate mafia state” and support Guaido. The young opposition leader has declared himself the country’s interim president, arguing that Maduro’s re-election was fraudulent.

What has played out in Venezuela and the world’s media between supporters and opponents of the Maduro government played out face-to-face in the chamber of the UN’s most powerful body, which has failed to take action on the Venezuelan crisis because of deep divisions. The Security Council’s five veto-wielding permanent members could not unite behind a statement on Venezuela, presenting widely differing texts.

The leaders of two of those council nations France and Britain joined Spain and Germany to turn up the pressure on Maduro Saturday, saying they would follow the US and others in recognising Guaido unless Venezuela calls new presidential elections within eight days.

But Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Venezuela doesn’t threaten international peace and security and accused “extremist opponents” of Maduro’s legitimate government of choosing “maximum confrontation”, including the artificial creation of a parallel government. He urged Pompeo to say whether the US will use military force. Pompeo later told reporters who asked for a response, “I am not going to speculate or hypothesize on what the U.S. will do next.”

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said if there is no announcement of new elections in the next days the 28-nation bloc “will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country’s leadership”.

Arreaza said Venezuela “will not allow anyone to impose on us any decision or order” and demanded that someone show him where in the country’s constitution it states that an individual can proclaim himself president. As for possible military action to oust Maduro, Arreaza said, “we will not allow any government or any country to violate our sovereignty, and give a pretext for Donald Trump to start a war.”

The opposition to Guaido was also reflected in the initial procedural vote on whether the 15-member Security Council should even discuss the crisis in Venezuela, which is not on its official agenda. The United States barely survived the vote to go ahead with the meeting, receiving the minimum nine “yes” votes from the council’s six Western nations along with Kuwait, Peru and the Dominican Republic. China, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea joined Russia in voting “no” while Indonesia and Ivory Coast abstained.

“Now is the time for every other national to pick a side,” Pompeo said. “No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you’re in league with Maduro and his mayhem.”

China’s UN Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu said his government “firmly opposed” the US accusations and doesn’t interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. “We hope the country that accuses others can do likewise itself,” Ma told the council.