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Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has offered to work with the US government, dialing back from the defiant posture she initially displayed after the capture of ousted leader Nicolás Maduro.

A Statement of Collaboration

In a message issued Sunday night, Rodríguez declared she had "extended an invitation to the American administration to work together on an agenda of joint work."

Her comments came just hours after ex-President Donald Trump warned that Maduro's former vice-president could "face severe consequences, potentially bigger than Maduro" if she failed to comply with his demands.

Transition of Power in the Country

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

She was sworn in as 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.

Trump's Comments and Approach

Following the shocking capture of Maduro, Trump claimed that the United States would now "manage" Venezuela "until we can do a orderly and lawful transition." He also mentioned that communication had been established with Rodríguez.

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

Trump's move have effectively marginalized the nation's political opposition, headed by Nobel prizewinner María Corina Machado. This tactic has been broadly condemned by analysts who argue that the existing power framework remains mostly unchanged – simply without Maduro at its helm.

Rodríguez's Shifting Posture

In her initial address after Maduro's detention, Rodríguez first adopted 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 markedly more conciliatory tone. Rodríguez released a message stating she considered a "balanced and respectful relationship" with the United States to be a priority.

"We invite the United States government to work jointly on an cooperative agenda, focused on shared development, within the confines of international law, and that strengthens enduring peace," she added.

An Open Appeal to Trump

Speaking to the former US president directly, she wrote: "Mr. Trump: our nations and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. That has always been President Nicolás Maduro’s conviction and it is that of the entire nation 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 significant nation where all patriotic Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future," she concluded.

Contradictory Signals

Despite the conciliatory tone, the administration – and Rodríguez herself, via her social media channel – later honored several dozen "Cuban combatants" who were part of Maduro’s security detail and who died "due to 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 non-combatants," without offering specific details or a confirmed count.