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Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has expressed a willingness to collaborate with the US government, dialing back from the confrontational rhetoric she initially displayed after the apprehension 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 remarks came just a short time after ex-President Donald Trump warned that Maduro's former vice-president could "face severe consequences, potentially bigger than Maduro" if she did not bend to his demands.

Leadership Shift in Venezuela

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

She was formally inaugurated as president by the supreme court on Saturday. The next day, the military leadership agreed to recognise her leadership, while simultaneously calling for the prompt liberation of Maduro and his wife.

The Former President's Statements and Strategy

Following the shocking capture of Maduro, Trump stated that the United States would now "run" Venezuela "until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." He also mentioned that contact had been established with Rodríguez.

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

Trump's actions have effectively marginalized the nation's political opposition, headed by Nobel laureate María Corina Machado. This tactic has been broadly condemned by analysts who argue that the regime's power structure remains mostly unchanged – just without Maduro at its helm.

Rodríguez's Evolving Posture

In her first public appearance after Maduro's detention, 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 struck a markedly more cooperative stance. Rodríguez issued a communication 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 cooperative agenda, aimed at mutual progress, within the framework of global norms, and that strengthens lasting peaceful coexistence," she added.

A Direct Address to Trump

Speaking to the American ex-president directly, she said: "Mr. Trump: our nations 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 the entire nation at this juncture."

"This is the Venezuela I have faith in and to which I have dedicated my life. My dream is for Venezuela to become a significant nation where all decent Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the inherent right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future," she added.

Contradictory Messages

Alongside the cooperative language, the administration – and Rodríguez herself, via her official channel – later honored 32 "Cuban combatants" who were part of Maduro’s personal security and who died "as a consequence of the criminal and infamous attack carried out by the US government."

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