Trump Issues 'Heavy Price' Warning... Venezuelan Vice President Shifts Stance

Instagram Statement Released
Includes Conciliatory Message to the U.S.
"Toward a Relationship of Mutual Respect"

Acting President and Vice President Delsy Rodriguez (center) posted a photo on Instagram on the night of the 4th (local time) along with a message suggesting cooperation with the United States. Photo by Vice President Rodriguez's Instagram

After President Nicolas Maduro was detained by the United States, Acting President and Vice President Delsy Rodriguez, who had previously criticized the United States, made a public request for cooperation with the U.S. on the 4th (local time). The shift in her stance-after having maintained a hardline position, including demanding the release of the Maduro couple-appears to be influenced by warning remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a statement posted in English on Instagram that day, Acting President Rodriguez said, "To President Donald Trump, our people and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war," and added, "We request that the United States cooperate with us based on an agenda of joint development within the framework of international law."

She continued, "Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence," and added, "On the premise of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs, we prioritize advancing balanced and mutually respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela."

Given that Acting President Rodriguez and the current Venezuelan government had previously pledged loyalty to the detained President Maduro and demonstrated a willingness to resist the United States, this statement is being viewed as a dramatic shift in stance.

Previously, Acting President Rodriguez had rejected President Trump's public call for cooperation. In an emergency cabinet meeting held immediately after President Maduro's detention, she stated, "Our only president is Maduro," and demanded the release of President Maduro and his wife. In response to President Trump's remarks about "managing Venezuela," she countered, "Venezuela will never become a colony of any country."

However, after President Trump publicly pressured her through media interviews, warning that "(Vice President Rodriguez) will pay a very high price if she does not do the right thing," she appears to have shifted to a conciliatory approach with this statement.

The Associated Press pointed out, "Unlike her speech earlier this weekend, in which she expressed strong resistance to the Trump administration, the statement posted in English on Instagram showed a dramatic change in tone."

Bloomberg News noted, "While Rodriguez's statement on Sunday night may signal a readiness to cooperate with Trump, it could also provoke resentment among hardliners in the government, who have regarded the United States as an 'imperialist threat' for years," adding, "These hardliners have considered Maduro's detention a violation of national sovereignty."