Venezuela’s New Leader Calls for Dialogue and ‘Coexistence’ With U.S.

 

Venezuela’s New Leader Calls for Dialogue and ‘Coexistence’ With U.S.

 

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez struck a more diplomatic tone than she had on Saturday, inviting the United States to “work together on a cooperative agenda.”

 

By Frances Robles

Published Jan. 4, 2026

Updated Jan. 5, 2026, 12:12 a.m. ET

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/world/americas/venezuela-acting-president.html

 

A day after a blistering speech in which she accused the Trump administration of illegally kidnapping Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s head of state, the country’s new acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, released a statement on Sunday night striking a much more diplomatic tone.

 

In a statement posted on social media, Ms. Rodríguez said that Venezuela “aspires to live without external threats” and “has a right to sovereignty.” But she continued in a more conciliatory tack.

 

“We extend an invitation to the U.S. government to work together on a cooperative agenda, oriented toward shared development, within the framework of international law, and to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” she wrote.

 

Ms. Rodríguez, 56, a former foreign minister, was Mr. Maduro’s vice president. When Mr. Maduro was taken out of the country by force and in handcuffs on Saturday, she initially refused to acknowledge that she had essentially become president, referring to Mr. Maduro as the country’s “only” president.

 

In a news conference announcing Mr. Maduro’s capture on Saturday, President Trump said that Ms. Rodríguez had spoken to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and agreed to cooperate in a transition government.

 

But hours later, Ms. Rodríguez gave a fiery speech in which she accused the United States of invading the country. She called for Mr. Maduro’s return.

 

Mr. Trump publicly threatened her, telling The Atlantic on Sunday that “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price.”

 

Ms. Rodríguez’s missive on Sunday, notably, did not demand Mr. Maduro’s release. He and his wife, facing drug charges, are now in a federal jail in New York.

 

Addressing Mr. Trump in her statement, Ms. Rodríguez said: “Our people and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. That has always been President Nicolás Maduro’s position, and it is the position of all of Venezuela at this moment. That is the Venezuela I believe in, the Venezuela to which I have dedicated my life. My dream is for Venezuela to be a great power where all good Venezuelans can come together.”

 

On Sunday, the Venezuelan Supreme Court declared her the country’s acting president.

 

Frances Robles is a Times reporter covering Latin America and the Caribbean. She has reported on the region for more than 25 years.