Buenos Aires, 5 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Following the capture of authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's new leadership has signalled a willingness to cooperate with the United States.

"We invite the US 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," Delcy Rodríguez, declared the interim president of Venezuela, said on Sunday in a statement posted on Instagram.

Rodríguez had initially taken a hard line after the US attack.

"Our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war," she wrote in a message addressed to US President Donald Trump. "This has always been President Nicolás Maduro’s message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now."

She called for a relationship between the US and Venezuela based on respect, sovereign equality and non-interference.

The US struck a series of targets in Venezuela early on Saturday, captured Maduro and removed him from the country. He is due to stand trial in New York on drug-related charges.

Trump announced that the US would temporarily "run" Venezuela.

Venezuela's Supreme Court authorized Vice President Rodríguez to assume the powers of the presidency on an interim basis. She initially took a hard line, demanding Maduro's release and describing the US operation as a violation of the UN Charter.

"We will never be slaves again," she said, addressing Trump.

MIA file photo