Venezuela's Acting Leader Strikes a Conciliatory Stance With the US Following Trump's Threat

The nation's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has offered to work with the US government, dialing back from the defiant posture she initially displayed after the capture of former dictator Nicolás Maduro.

An Announcement of Cooperation

In a message released late Sunday, Rodríguez declared she had "extended an invitation to the American administration to work together on an framework of cooperation."

Her comments followed just a short time after former President Donald Trump warned that Maduro's former vice-president could "face severe consequences, potentially more severe than Maduro" if she did not bend to his wishes.

Transition of Power in the Country

Rodríguez has effectively been running Venezuela since Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on Saturday. The pair were taken to New York and are due to appear at a U.S. court in Manhattan.

She was sworn in as acting president by the constitutional tribunal on Saturday. The next day, the military leadership pledged to acknowledge her authority, while still demanding the prompt liberation of Maduro and his wife.

The Former President's Comments and Strategy

Following the surprising apprehension of Maduro, Trump claimed that the United States would now "run" Venezuela "until we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." He also mentioned that contact had been made with Rodríguez.

On Sunday, he cautioned that the US might launch a further action if remaining members of the administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country "back on track."

Trump's move have entirely sidelined the country's democratic opposition, headed by Nobel prizewinner María Corina Machado. This strategy has been broadly condemned by observers who argue that the regime's power structure remains mostly unchanged – just without Maduro at its helm.

The Leader's Shifting Position

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

However, on Sunday night, after chairing her first cabinet meeting, she struck a significantly more conciliatory tone. Rodríguez issued a communication stating she considered a "stable and mutual relationship" with the United States to be a key objective.

"We invite the United States government to work jointly on an cooperative agenda, focused on mutual progress, within the confines of global norms, and that promotes lasting peaceful coexistence," she added.

An Open Appeal to Trump

Addressing the former US president directly, she wrote: "President Donald Trump: our peoples and our region are entitled to peace and dialogue, not war. That has always been President Nicolás Maduro’s conviction and it is that of the entire nation at this juncture."

"This is the Venezuela I have faith in and to which I have devoted myself. My dream is for Venezuela to become a significant nation where all patriotic Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the right to sovereignty, development, peace, and a prosperous future," she added.

Contrasting Signals

Despite the conciliatory tone, the administration – and Rodríguez herself, via her official channel – later honored several dozen "Cuban combatants" who were part of Maduro’s personal security and who perished "due to the criminal and infamous attack carried out by the United States."

Previously that day, the defense chief, Gen Vladímir Padrino López, had stated that US troops had "cold-bloodedly assassinated much of [Maduro’s] protection team, soldiers and non-combatants," without offering specific details or a confirmed count.