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Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has expressed a willingness to collaborate with the United States, dialing back from the defiant posture she initially displayed after the apprehension of former dictator Nicolás Maduro.

An Announcement of Collaboration

In a message issued Sunday night, Rodríguez stated she had "extended an invitation to the US government to cooperate on an framework of cooperation."

Her comments came just a short time after ex-President Donald Trump warned that Rodríguez could "pay a very big price, potentially more severe than Maduro" if she did not bend to his demands.

Transition of Power in Venezuela

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

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

The Former President's Comments and Strategy

Following the shocking capture of Maduro, Trump stated 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 established with Rodríguez.

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

Trump's actions have effectively marginalized the country's democratic opposition, lead by Nobel prizewinner María Corina Machado. This tactic has been broadly condemned by analysts who contend that the regime's power structure remains mostly unchanged – just without Maduro at its head.

Rodríguez's Shifting Position

In her first public appearance after Maduro's capture, Rodríguez first adopted a stance of resistance, proclaiming that Venezuela would "not ever be anyone's colony."

However, on Sunday night, after presiding over a government meeting, she struck a markedly more cooperative stance. Rodríguez issued a communication stating she considered a "stable and mutual relationship" with the United States to be a priority.

"We extend an invitation the United States government to collaborate on an cooperative agenda, aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law, and that promotes enduring peace," she added.

An Open Address to Trump

Addressing the American ex-president directly, she wrote: "President Donald Trump: our nations and our hemisphere are entitled to dialogue and peace, 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 patriotic Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the inherent right to sovereignty, development, peace, and a prosperous future," she added.

Contradictory Signals

Alongside the cooperative language, the Venezuelan government – and Rodríguez herself, via her official channel – later honored 32 "Cuban security personnel" who were part of Maduro’s security detail and who perished "as a consequence of the unlawful and reprehensible attack carried out by the US government."

Earlier on Sunday, the defence minister, Gen Vladímir Padrino López, had stated that US troops had "cold-bloodedly assassinated much of [Maduro’s] security detail, soldiers and non-combatants," without offering specific details or a confirmed count.