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The nation's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has offered to work with the US government, dialing back from the defiant rhetoric she first adopted after the capture of ousted leader Nicolás Maduro.

An Announcement of Cooperation

In a statement issued Sunday night, Rodríguez declared she had "invited the US government to work together on an agenda of cooperation."

Her remarks came just hours after former President Donald Trump threatened that Maduro's former vice-president could "face severe consequences, potentially more severe than Maduro" if she failed to comply with his wishes.

Leadership Shift in the Country

Rodríguez has effectively been running Venezuela since Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained over the weekend. The pair were taken to New York and are due to appear at a U.S. court in Manhattan.

She was sworn in as acting president by the supreme court on Saturday. The following day, the military leadership agreed to recognise her leadership, 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 such time as we can execute a safe, proper and judicious transition." He also added that communication had been established with Rodríguez.

On Sunday, he warned that the US might launch a further action if holdouts of the administration fail to comply with his efforts to get the country "fixed."

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

Rodríguez's Shifting Position

In her initial address after Maduro's detention, Rodríguez initially struck a defiant tone, declaring that Venezuela would "not ever be any other nation'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 "balanced and respectful relationship" with the United States to be a priority.

"We extend an invitation the United States government to work jointly on an agenda of cooperation, focused on mutual progress, within the framework of global norms, and that strengthens lasting peaceful coexistence," she added.

An Open Address to Trump

Addressing the American ex-president directly, she said: "Mr. Trump: our peoples 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 all Venezuela at this moment."

"This is the Venezuela I have faith in and to which I have devoted myself. My dream is for Venezuela to become a great power where all decent Venezuelans can unite. Venezuela has the inherent right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future," she added.

Contrasting Messages

Alongside the cooperative language, the administration – and Rodríguez herself, via her official channel – later paid tribute to several dozen "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 United States."

Earlier on Sunday, the defense chief, Gen Vladímir Padrino López, had stated that US troops had "cold-bloodedly assassinated much of [Maduro’s] security detail, military personnel and non-combatants," without providing names or a death toll.