Venezuela's Acting Leader Strikes a Cooperative Stance Toward the United States Following Donald Trump's Threat

The nation's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has offered to work with the United States, dialing back from the defiant rhetoric she initially displayed after the capture of ousted leader Nicolás Maduro.

An Announcement of Collaboration

In a statement issued Sunday night, Rodríguez stated she had "extended an invitation to the US government to cooperate on an framework of cooperation."

Her comments followed just hours after ex-President Donald Trump threatened that Rodríguez could "pay a very big price, potentially bigger than Maduro" if she failed to comply with his wishes.

Leadership Shift in the Country

Rodríguez has effectively been running Venezuela since Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on Saturday. The couple were transported to New York and are scheduled for an appearance at a federal court in Manhattan.

She was formally inaugurated as acting president by the supreme court on Saturday. The following day, the country's armed forces agreed to recognise her leadership, while simultaneously calling for the immediate release of Maduro and his wife.

Trump's Statements and Strategy

Following the shocking capture of Maduro, Trump stated that the United States would now "manage" Venezuela "until such time as we can execute a orderly and lawful transition." He also added that contact had been made with Rodríguez.

On Sunday, he warned that the US might launch a second strike if holdouts of the administration fail to comply with his plans to get the country "fixed."

Trump's move have entirely sidelined the nation's political opposition, headed by Nobel prizewinner María Corina Machado. This tactic has been widely criticised by observers who contend that the regime's power structure remains largely intact – simply without Maduro at its helm.

The Leader's Shifting Position

In her first public appearance after Maduro's detention, Rodríguez initially struck a stance of resistance, proclaiming that Venezuela would "never again be any other nation's colony."

However, on Sunday night, after chairing her first cabinet meeting, she struck a significantly more conciliatory tone. Rodríguez released a message stating she considered a "balanced and respectful relationship" with the United States to be a priority.

"We invite the government of the US to work jointly on an agenda of cooperation, aimed at shared development, within the framework of global norms, and that strengthens lasting peaceful coexistence," she added.

An Open Appeal to Trump

Speaking to the former US president directly, she wrote: "Mr. Trump: our peoples and our hemisphere deserve dialogue and peace, not war. That has consistently been President Nicolás Maduro’s belief and it is that of all Venezuela at this juncture."

"This nation I have faith in and to which I have dedicated my life. My aspiration is for Venezuela to become a great power where all decent Venezuelans can unite. Venezuela has the inherent right to sovereignty, development, peace, and a prosperous future," she concluded.

Contradictory Messages

Despite the conciliatory tone, the administration – and Rodríguez herself, via her social media channel – later paid tribute to 32 "Cuban combatants" who were part of Maduro’s personal security and who perished "due to the unlawful and reprehensible attack carried out by the United States."

Earlier on Sunday, the defence minister, Gen Vladímir Padrino López, had stated that US troops had "cold-bloodedly assassinated much of [Maduro’s] protection team, soldiers and innocent civilians," without providing names or a death toll.