Venezuela’s Interim President Says Caracas Isn’t Afraid of Diplomatic Clash With US

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, said Thursday that her government is unafraid of a diplomatic confrontation with the United States, which ousted her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, in a January 3 military strike.

“We know they are very powerful. We know they are a lethal nuclear power… We are not afraid to confront them diplomatically, through political dialogue,” Rodriguez said, underscoring Caracas’s readiness to engage Washington despite heightened tensions.

Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president and remains a staunch ally, has been accepted by the United States as interim leader on condition that her government align with Washington’s priorities, particularly regarding access to Venezuela’s extensive oil resources.

In Maduro’s absence, Rodriguez delivered his state-of-the-nation address to parliament, drawing strong applause from lawmakers, and urged the United States to show “respect for the dignity” of Maduro, who now faces drug trafficking charges in the US.

Rodriguez also described her recent telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump as “productive and courteous,” noting discussions on oil, trade, minerals and national security. Trump, for his part, called her “a terrific person” and said the talks showed “tremendous progress.”

Amid efforts to balance diplomatic engagement with Washington and internal pressures from Maduro loyalists who still control significant security apparatuses, Rodriguez vowed that if she were to visit Washington as interim president, she would do so “standing, walking, not dragged”—a reference to Maduro’s capture by US forces.

Meanwhile, Trump met Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whose party is widely seen to have won the July 2024 presidential election, in what the White House described as “positive” talks, even as Rodriguez continues to navigate complex diplomatic challenges.

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