Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez struck a conciliatory tone on Sunday, offering to work with the United States on an agenda of “shared development” just days after U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement posted on social media, Rodriguez said her government was prioritizing respectful relations with Washington despite earlier criticism of the raid.
“We invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” she wrote.
“President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”
Rodriguez, who also serves as Venezuela’s oil minister, has long been viewed as the most pragmatic member of Maduro’s inner circle. Trump previously said she was willing to cooperate with the U.S.
Trump Warns of More Strikes
Despite Rodriguez’s overture, Trump told reporters he could order another strike if Venezuela fails to open its oil industry and curb drug trafficking.
He also threatened military action in Colombia and Mexico, while predicting Cuba’s communist regime “looks like it’s ready to fall.”
Rodriguez’s statement came on the eve of Maduro’s scheduled court appearance in New York.
U.S. prosecutors accuse the 63‑year‑old leader of narco‑terrorism conspiracy and cocaine trafficking, charges first filed in 2020 and updated to include his wife, Cilia Flores, who was also captured.
Prosecutors allege Maduro directed trafficking routes, used the military to protect shipments, and sheltered violent cartels. Maduro has denied wrongdoing.
Global Fallout and Legal Questions
The raid has drawn sharp criticism internationally. The UN Security Council will meet Monday to discuss the U.S. attack, which Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres called “a dangerous precedent.”
China repeated its condemnation, urging Washington to release Maduro and Flores.
Opposition Democrats in Washington say they were misled about Venezuela policy, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to brief lawmakers.
Trump has framed the seizure as law enforcement, but also cited other motives, including Venezuelan immigration to the U.S. and the nationalization of American oil interests decades ago.
“We’re taking back what they stole. We’re in charge,” Trump said aboard Air Force One.
Oil companies, he added, will return to Venezuela and “spend billions of dollars” to rebuild the petroleum industry. Global oil prices edged higher in volatile trading, while Asian stock markets rose.
Maduro’s removal comes as Venezuela faces economic collapse after two decades of mismanagement. Once one of Latin America’s richest nations, the country has seen about one in five citizens flee abroad in one of the world’s largest exoduses.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, banned from the 2024 election, insists her ally Edmundo Gonzalez won the presidency. International observers have echoed that claim, but Trump dismissed Machado as lacking support.
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I don’t see why and how a sovereign state leader gets captured by America, accused of wrong doing and being trilled all while in foreign country lands and the UN is still watching. This is an act of war, and should be treated as such. World Super power or not it’s against international state policy to indulge in this.