VENEZUELA’S right-wing opposition pulled out of talks with the government on Tuesday as hope grew of countering the “economic war” being waged against the country

Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) secretary-general Jesus Torrealba announced the coalition of US-friendly parties would not attend.

Tuesday’s scheduled meeting with President Nicolas Maduro’s United Socialist Party government was to be the third since the Vatican-mediated talks began in October.

Mr Torrealba claimed that Mr Maduro had not made enough concessions,, including the release of more than 100 “political prisoners.” Five, arrested for violence or inciting violence at anti-government protests, have been released since the start of talks but the Mud said this was not enough.

“It would be insincere to keep sitting there as if nothing has happened,” Mr Torrealba said.

But the Mud secretariat said in its statement it would maintain contact with Vatican mediator Claudio Maria Celli and papal nuncio Aldo Giordano.

On Sunday Lilian Tintori, the wife of jailed Popular Will party leader Lepoldo Lopez, his mother and jailed former Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma’s wife chained themselves symbolically in the centre of Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square, demanding Pope Francis secure their release.

The far-right militant Mr Lopez was jailed for almost 14 years in 2015 for inciting violent riots in 2014 in which 43 people were killed, in a bid to overthrow the government.

Mr Ledezma was jailed the same year, for allegedly plotting a coup.

Regional bloc Unasur general secretary Ernesto Samper, another of several international mediators in the talks, remained optimistic.

“We still believe that political dialogue remains the best option for Venezuela, with 85 per cent of Venezuelans approving it,” he said.

He said the two sides had reached partial agreement on the distribution of food and medicines to alleviate shortages caused by what VicePresident Aritobulo Isturiz called an “economic, political and social war.”

On Tuesday Mr Maduro and Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified economic, military and agricultural alliance, with the Russian leader offering to send as much wheat as needed to counter shortages.

Venezuela’s economy has been hardhit by the global fall in oil prices, leaving many people struggling to afford or find food.

The opposition blames Mr Maduro for the country’s recession and has tried repeatedly to remove him from office by means of a recall referendum.