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The nation's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has offered to work with the United States, marking a shift from the defiant rhetoric she first adopted after the apprehension of former dictator Nicolás Maduro.

An Announcement of Collaboration

In a statement released late Sunday, Rodríguez declared she had "invited the American administration to work together on an framework of joint work."

Her remarks came just a short time after former President Donald Trump threatened that Rodríguez could "pay a very big price, probably 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 detained over the weekend. The pair were transported to New York and are due to appear at a U.S. court in Manhattan.

She was formally inaugurated as president by the supreme court on Saturday. The next day, the military leadership pledged to acknowledge her leadership, 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 "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 initiate a further action if remaining members of the administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country "back on track."

Trump's move have effectively marginalized the nation's political opposition, lead by Nobel prizewinner María Corina Machado. This strategy has been broadly condemned by analysts who contend that the existing power framework remains largely intact – simply without Maduro at its helm.

Rodríguez's Shifting Posture

In her first public appearance after Maduro's detention, Rodríguez first adopted 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 adopted a markedly 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 United States government to work jointly on an cooperative agenda, aimed at mutual progress, within the confines of international law, and that promotes enduring peace," she stated.

A Direct Address to Trump

Addressing the former US president directly, she wrote: "Mr. Trump: our peoples and our hemisphere deserve dialogue and peace, not war. That has always been President Nicolás Maduro’s belief and it is that of the entire nation at this moment."

"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 unite. Venezuela has the inherent right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future," she added.

Contradictory Signals

Alongside the cooperative language, the administration – and Rodríguez herself, via her social media channel – later paid tribute to several dozen "Cuban combatants" who were part of Maduro’s personal security and who died "due to the criminal and infamous 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 "cold-bloodedly assassinated much of [Maduro’s] protection team, soldiers and innocent civilians," without offering specific details or a confirmed count.