Venezuela’s acting president calls for dialogue with US as Trump demands ‘total access’
Venezuela’s acting president has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence, calling for dialogue and cooperation with the United States amid escalating threats from Donald Trump following Washington’s abduction of President Nicolas Maduro.
In a message addressed “to the world, and to the United States” on Monday, Delcy Rodriguez said Venezuela seeks to live without external threats and in an environment based on respect and international cooperation. She stressed that global peace begins with guaranteeing peace within each nation.
Rodriguez said Caracas prioritizes balanced and respectful international relations with the United States and countries across the region, grounded in sovereign equality and non-interference. She added that these principles guide her country’s diplomacy with the rest of the world.
The acting president also invited the US government to work with Venezuela on an agenda of cooperation aimed at shared development within the framework of international law, saying such cooperation could help strengthen lasting coexistence.
Addressing Trump directly, Rodriguez said the peoples of Venezuela and the wider region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. She said this had always been Maduro’s message and described it as the message of all Venezuelans at present.
She added that she believes in a Venezuela where unity prevails and said the country has the right to peace, development, sovereignty, and a future.
Her statement followed earlier remarks by Trump, who issued a threat against Rodriguez after she was designated to run Venezuela following the kidnapping. Trump said Rodriguez would face “a situation probably worse than Maduro” if she did not cooperate with the United States.
Trump also said Washington was demanding “total access” inside Venezuela, including access to the country’s oil and other resources, which he claimed would allow the US to “rebuild their country.”
The escalation came after US forces abducted Maduro and his wife from Caracas and transferred them to New York following a military attack involving heavy bombing, aircraft, warships, and commandos. The duo are being held to face what Washington claims to be “drug-related charges.”
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also warned Venezuelan officials to make, what he called, the “right decision” or face increased military, political, and economic pressure from Washington. Speaking to CBS News, Rubio said the US would work with Venezuela’s remaining leadership if they complied with American demands.
According to the top diplomat, potential additional aggression would include strikes on what he referred to as “drug boats” as well as seizure of Venezuelan oil wherever possible.
The abduction followed months of escalating pressure on Venezuela, including a buildup of forces in South America and attacks in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean that Washington purported were linked to drug trafficking allegations, claims previously rejected by Maduro as a pretext for an attack on the country.
