The arrest of Venezuela’s long-time leader has triggered a rapid recalibration in Caracas rather than an immediate rupture. Delcy Rodriguez, named acting president after US forces detained Nicolas Maduro, is attempting to redefine the balance of leverage between Washington and an oil-rich but politically isolated state. Her public offer of cooperation marks the first conciliatory signal since Saturday’s operation and underscores how the Maduro seizure has shifted Venezuela’s internal power dynamics without settling its international legitimacy.

Rodriguez’s statement, published on social media on Sunday, proposed collaboration with the United States on “shared development” under international law. She framed the appeal as a corrective to escalation rather than a surrender, saying the region “deserve[s] peace and dialogue, not war.” The language contrasted sharply with the government’s earlier condemnation of the raid as an illegal attempt to seize national resources. The shift reflects Rodriguez’s reputation as the most pragmatic figure in Maduro’s inner circle and her parallel role as oil minister, a post central to Venezuela’s economic survival.

“Peace and Dialogue, Not War”

Publicly, however, the acting government is maintaining a dual track. While offering talks, Rodriguez and other officials continue to describe Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as victims of a “kidnapping” and insist that Maduro remains Venezuela’s legitimate president. Maduro, 63, is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in New York on Monday, facing US charges first filed in 2020 and updated on Saturday to include Flores. Prosecutors accuse him of narco-terrorism conspiracy, alleging coordination with groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang.

According to US filings, Maduro directed cocaine trafficking routes, used military units to shield shipments and relied on presidential facilities to move drugs. Flores is accused of ordering kidnappings and murders. Both deny wrongdoing, and US officials acknowledge that it could take months before a trial begins. The Trump administration has described the operation as a law-enforcement action rather than a conventional military strike.

Threats, Oil, and Escalation Control

President Donald Trump has nonetheless blended legal justification with geopolitical pressure. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, he said he could order another strike if Venezuela failed to cooperate with US efforts to open its oil industry and curb drug trafficking. He also warned of possible military action in Colombia and Mexico and claimed that Cuba’s communist government “looks like it’s ready to fall.” On Air Force One, Trump said the US was “taking back what they stole” and declared, “We’re in charge.”

Oil policy sits at the centre of this standoff. Trump said US companies would return to Venezuela, invest “billions of dollars,” and rebuild the petroleum sector. Markets reacted cautiously. Global oil prices edged higher in volatile trading, while Asian equities rose, reflecting uncertainty rather than panic. Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest proven reserves, but years of sanctions, nationalisation and under-investment have eroded output.

Courts, Markets, and Regional Fallout

Rodriguez’s outreach appears designed to limit further escalation while preserving room to negotiate over energy access and sanctions relief. US officials have argued that factors beyond criminal charges influenced the raid, citing migration pressures and decades-old disputes over nationalised oil assets. The convergence of legal proceedings, military threats and resource diplomacy places Venezuela at the intersection of enforcement and strategy.

Regionally, the operation has unsettled Latin American capitals. Colombian and Mexican embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to Trump’s remarks, while Caracas’s neighbours are weighing the precedent of a sitting president being seized and transferred to the US. For now, the immediate test lies in New York’s federal court on Monday and in whether Rodriguez’s call for cooperation can translate into a stable channel with Washington amid explicit threats of further force.