Venezuela's Acting Leader Adopts a Conciliatory Tone With the US Following Donald Trump's Threat

The nation's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has expressed a willingness to collaborate with the United States, dialing back from the confrontational rhetoric she initially displayed after the capture of ousted leader Nicolás Maduro.

An Announcement of Collaboration

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

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

Transition of Power in Venezuela

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

She was formally inaugurated as president by the constitutional tribunal on Saturday. The next day, the country's armed forces pledged to acknowledge her leadership, while simultaneously calling for the immediate release of Maduro and his wife.

Trump's Statements and Strategy

Following the surprising apprehension of Maduro, Trump stated that the United States would now "manage" Venezuela "until we can do a orderly and lawful transition." He also added that contact had been established with Rodríguez.

On Sunday, he warned that the US might initiate a second strike 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 nation's political opposition, headed by Nobel laureate María Corina Machado. This tactic has been widely criticised by observers who contend that the regime's power structure remains mostly unchanged – just without Maduro at its helm.

Rodríguez's Shifting Position

In her first public appearance after Maduro's capture, Rodríguez initially struck a defiant tone, 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 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 extend an invitation the United States government to work jointly on an cooperative agenda, aimed at mutual progress, within the confines of global norms, and that strengthens enduring peace," she added.

A Direct Appeal to Trump

Addressing the American ex-president directly, she wrote: "President Donald Trump: our nations and our region deserve dialogue and peace, not war. That has consistently been President Nicolás Maduro’s conviction 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 great power where all patriotic Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the inherent right to sovereignty, development, peace, and a prosperous future," she added.

Contradictory Signals

Despite the conciliatory tone, the Venezuelan government – and Rodríguez herself, via her official channel – later honored several dozen "Cuban combatants" who were part of Maduro’s security detail and who perished "as a consequence of the unlawful and reprehensible attack carried out by the United States."

Earlier on Sunday, the defence minister, Gen Vladímir Padrino López, had said in a statement that US troops had "summarily executed much of [Maduro’s] security detail, military personnel and innocent civilians," without offering specific details or a confirmed count.