Politics

Venezuela’s acting president made an offer on Sunday to work with the United States on goals related to “shared development.” This marks a more friendly approach for the first time since U.S. forces took control of the oil-rich country's president, Nicolas Maduro. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez shared her thoughts on social media, stating that her government wants to build respectful relations with the U.S., despite previously calling Saturday’s raid an illegal capture of Venezuela's national resources. Rodriguez said, “We invite the U.S. government to work with us on a cooperation agenda focused on shared development under international law to promote lasting community coexistence.” She added, “President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.” Rodriguez, who is also the oil minister, is seen as the most practical member of Maduro’s close team, and Trump mentioned that she was open to collaborating with the U.S. However, she and other officials have referred to the arrests of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as kidnappings and maintain that Maduro is still the rightful leader of Venezuela. On Sunday, Trump told reporters that he might authorize another strike if Venezuela does not engage with U.S. efforts to open its oil sector and combat drug trafficking. He also hinted at possible military actions in Colombia and Mexico, claiming that Cuba’s communist government "looks like it's ready to fall" by itself. The Colombian and Mexican embassies in Washington did not respond to requests for comments right away. Rodriguez’s remarks came just before Maduro's expected court appearance on Monday before a federal judge in New York.