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Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has offered to work with the United States, marking a shift from the confrontational posture she initially displayed after the capture of ousted leader Nicolás Maduro.

A Statement of Collaboration

In a message issued Sunday night, Rodríguez stated she had "invited the US government to work together on an framework of joint work."

Her remarks followed just hours after former President Donald Trump threatened that Rodríguez could "pay a very big price, probably more severe 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 transported to New York and are due to appear at a U.S. court in Manhattan.

She was sworn in as president by the constitutional tribunal on Saturday. The following day, the military leadership agreed to recognise her authority, while still demanding the prompt liberation of Maduro and his wife.

Trump's Statements and Strategy

Following the surprising apprehension of Maduro, Trump claimed that the United States would now "run" Venezuela "until such time as we can execute a orderly and lawful transition." He also mentioned that communication had been established with Rodríguez.

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

Trump's move have effectively marginalized the country's democratic opposition, headed by Nobel prizewinner María Corina Machado. This strategy has been widely criticised by observers who contend that the regime's power structure remains mostly unchanged – simply without Maduro at its helm.

Rodríguez's Evolving Position

In her first public appearance after Maduro's detention, Rodríguez first adopted a defiant tone, declaring that Venezuela would "never again be anyone's colony."

However, on Sunday night, after presiding over a government meeting, she struck a markedly more conciliatory tone. Rodríguez released a message stating she considered a "stable and mutual relationship" with the United States to be a key objective.

"We invite the United States government to work jointly on an cooperative agenda, focused on mutual progress, within the confines of global norms, and that promotes lasting peaceful coexistence," she added.

An Open Appeal to Trump

Addressing the American ex-president directly, she said: "President Donald Trump: our peoples and our region are entitled to peace and dialogue, 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 dedicated my life. My aspiration is for Venezuela to become a significant nation where all decent Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the inherent right to sovereignty, development, peace, and a prosperous future," she concluded.

Contradictory Messages

Despite the conciliatory tone, the Venezuelan government – and Rodríguez herself, via her social media channel – later honored 32 "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 US government."

Previously that day, the defence minister, Gen Vladímir Padrino López, had said in a statement that US troops had "summarily executed much of [Maduro’s] security detail, soldiers and non-combatants," without providing names or a death toll.