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The nation's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has expressed a willingness to collaborate with the US government, marking a shift from the confrontational rhetoric she initially displayed after the apprehension of former dictator Nicolás Maduro.

A Statement of Collaboration

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

Her comments followed just hours after former President Donald Trump threatened that Rodríguez could "face severe consequences, potentially more severe than Maduro" if she did not bend to his demands.

Transition of Power in the Country

Rodríguez has effectively been running Venezuela since Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained over the weekend. The couple were taken to New York and are scheduled for an appearance at a federal court in Manhattan.

She was sworn in as president by the constitutional tribunal on Saturday. The following 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 "manage" Venezuela "until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." He also mentioned that communication had been made with Rodríguez.

On Sunday, he cautioned that the US might launch a second strike if remaining members of the administration fail to comply with his efforts to get the country "fixed."

Trump's actions have entirely sidelined the country's democratic opposition, lead by Nobel prizewinner María Corina Machado. This strategy has been widely criticised by analysts who argue that the regime's power structure remains largely intact – simply without Maduro at its helm.

The Leader's Evolving Position

In her first public appearance after Maduro's capture, Rodríguez initially struck a defiant tone, proclaiming that Venezuela would "not ever be any other nation'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 "balanced and respectful relationship" with the United States to be a key objective.

"We extend an invitation the government of the US to work jointly on an cooperative agenda, focused on shared development, within the confines of global norms, and that strengthens lasting peaceful coexistence," she added.

A Direct Address to Trump

Addressing the former US president directly, she said: "President Donald Trump: our peoples and our hemisphere are entitled to dialogue and peace, not war. That has consistently been President Nicolás Maduro’s conviction 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 patriotic Venezuelans can unite. Venezuela has the right to sovereignty, development, peace, and a prosperous future," she concluded.

Contradictory Messages

Alongside the cooperative language, the Venezuelan government – and Rodríguez herself, via her official channel – later paid tribute to several dozen "Cuban combatants" who were part of Maduro’s security detail and who died "as a consequence of the criminal and infamous attack carried out by the US government."

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