Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has offered to work with the US government, dialing back from the defiant rhetoric she first adopted after the apprehension of former dictator Nicolás Maduro.
A Statement of Collaboration
In a statement issued Sunday night, Rodríguez stated she had "invited the US government to cooperate on an agenda of cooperation."
Her remarks followed just hours after ex-President Donald Trump warned that Maduro's former vice-president could "face severe consequences, potentially more severe than Maduro" if she failed to comply with his demands.
Transition of Power in Venezuela
Rodríguez has assumed de facto control of Venezuela since Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured over the weekend. The couple 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 country's armed forces pledged to acknowledge her authority, while still demanding the prompt liberation of Maduro and his wife.
Trump's Statements and Strategy
Following the shocking capture of Maduro, Trump stated that the United States would now "run" Venezuela "until we can execute a safe, proper and judicious transition." He also added that contact had been established with Rodríguez.
On Sunday, he cautioned that the US might launch a further action if holdouts of the administration fail to comply 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 tactic has been widely criticised by analysts who contend that the existing power framework remains mostly unchanged – simply without Maduro at its head.
The Leader's Shifting Posture
In her initial address after Maduro's capture, Rodríguez initially struck a stance of resistance, declaring that Venezuela would "not ever be any other nation's colony."
However, on Sunday night, after chairing her first cabinet meeting, she adopted a markedly more cooperative stance. Rodríguez released a message stating she considered a "balanced and respectful relationship" with the United States to be a priority.
"We extend an invitation the government of the US to work jointly on an agenda of cooperation, focused on shared development, within the confines of international law, and that promotes lasting peaceful coexistence," she stated.
An Open Appeal to Trump
Addressing the American ex-president directly, she said: "Mr. Trump: our peoples and our hemisphere are entitled to peace and dialogue, not war. That has always been President Nicolás Maduro’s belief and it is that of all Venezuela at this moment."
"This nation I have faith in and to which I have devoted myself. My aspiration is for Venezuela to become a significant nation where all decent Venezuelans can unite. 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 social media channel – later honored several dozen "Cuban combatants" who were part of Maduro’s security detail and who perished "due to the unlawful and reprehensible attack carried out by the US government."
Previously that day, the defence minister, Gen Vladímir Padrino López, had said in a statement that US troops had "cold-bloodedly assassinated much of [Maduro’s] security detail, military personnel and non-combatants," without offering specific details or a confirmed count.
