Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez struck a markedly conciliatory tone toward Washington late Sunday, inviting U.S. President Donald Trump “to collaborate” and calling for “respectful relations,” even as the United States asserted sweeping control over the country following the dramatic seizure of Nicolas Maduro.
Rodriguez’s English-language message, posted on Instagram, stood in sharp contrast to her defiant speeches earlier in the weekend and appeared aimed at easing tensions after Trump warned she could “pay a very big price” if she resisted U.S. demands.
“We invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented toward shared development, within the framework of international law,” Rodriguez wrote, adding that she sought peaceful coexistence and mutual respect.
Her appeal came as senior U.S. officials sought to clarify Trump’s repeated claims that Washington would “run” Venezuela following Maduro’s removal in a clandestine overnight operation that extracted the longtime leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, from a military base in Caracas.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio moved Sunday to soften concerns that the United States was embarking on another prolonged foreign intervention, saying Washington had no intention of governing Venezuela day to day. Instead, he said, the U.S. would rely on economic pressure, chiefly an existing oil quarantine, to force reforms.
