Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, on Tuesday rejected claims that any external power was running the country, even as US President Donald Trump announced that Caracas would be rapidly handing over millions of barrels of oil to the United States.
Rodriguez, who served as vice president under the deposed leader Nicolas Maduro, has sent conflicting signals over how far she is willing to cooperate with Trump. At times her tone has suggested openness to dialogue, while at other moments she has struck a defiant note aimed at asserting national sovereignty.
Addressing the nation three days after US special forces seized Maduro and his wife in a dramatic operation in Caracas, Rodriguez declared, “The government of Venezuela is in charge in our country, and no one else.”
“There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela.”
Trump, however, has repeatedly asserted that Washington is now effectively “in charge” of the Caribbean nation, while indicating he is willing to engage with Rodriguez if she complies with his demand for access to Venezuela’s extensive oil reserves.
The US president left little room for ambiguity about his intentions. Writing late Tuesday on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Rodriguez “will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil” to the United States.
“This oil will be sold at its market price, and that money will be controlled by me” as president, Trump added, noting that he had instructed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to carry out the plan “immediately.”
Rodriguez has attempted to balance outreach with firmness, appearing keen not to alienate hardline figures who still dominate the security forces and paramilitary groups that have patrolled the streets since Maduro’s capture.
“We are a people that does not surrender, we are a people that does not give up,” she said, while honouring the “martyrs” of what she described as US attacks.
She confirmed that Venezuela was observing seven days of mourning for those killed. In its first official acknowledgement of losses, the Venezuelan military released a list on Tuesday naming 23 soldiers, including five generals, who died in the US strikes.
Cuba, one of Caracas’ closest allies, separately published the names of 32 Cuban military personnel killed, many of whom were reportedly part of Maduro’s personal security team.
Authorities in Venezuela have yet to release an official count of civilian casualties from the operation that saw US forces detain Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transport them to the United States to stand trial. Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on Tuesday that “dozens” of civilians and military personnel had been killed, without providing specific figures.
Amid the fallout, thousands of supporters of the former presidential couple, including influential Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, marched through Caracas calling for their release. Fear of retaliation by state security forces has meant that many Venezuelans who opposed Maduro have been reluctant to openly celebrate his removal.
Maduro and Flores appeared in a New York court on Monday, where they pleaded not guilty to charges including drug trafficking. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged the United States to guarantee them a fair judicial process.
As interim leader, Rodriguez has worked to project unity alongside Cabello and Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, both regarded as key powerbrokers within the former Maduro administration. Her position, however, has been challenged by opposition figures.
Maria Corina Machado, a leading opposition voice who has been sidelined by Washington during the transition, warned in an interview with Fox News that Rodriguez should not be trusted.
“Delcy Rodriguez, as you know, is one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption, narcotrafficking,” she said.
“She’s the main ally and liaison with Russia, China, Iran, certainly not an individual that could be trusted by international investors.”
Signs that Venezuela’s security apparatus remains active have also emerged. A journalists’ union reported that 16 journalists and media workers were detained on Monday, though all were later released.
Trump has issued stark warnings, saying Rodriguez would pay “a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro” if she failed to align with Washington’s demands. A retired general who once held senior military roles predicted that Rodriguez could reopen Venezuela to US oil and mining companies and possibly restore diplomatic relations severed by Maduro in 2019.
The former officer also suggested she might attempt to ease international pressure over Venezuela’s human rights record by freeing political prisoners.
Trump told Republican lawmakers on Tuesday that Maduro was a “violent guy” who “killed millions of people” and claimed that Rodriguez’s administration was already “closing up” a torture chamber in Caracas.
Under Venezuela’s constitution, once Maduro is formally declared absent, a process that could take up to six months, new elections must be held within 30 days. Machado told Fox News she was confident the opposition, widely viewed as the true winners of the 2024 elections, would secure “over 90 per cent of the votes.”
What you should know
Venezuela is entering a volatile transition following the capture of Nicolas Maduro by US forces, with Delcy Rodriguez attempting to hold together a fragile power structure dominated by military and security hardliners.
While publicly rejecting foreign control, she faces intense pressure from Washington over oil access and governance reforms. The situation is further complicated by unresolved questions around casualties, human rights concerns, and the timeline for constitutionally mandated elections.
How Rodriguez balances domestic authority, international demands, and internal dissent will shape Venezuela’s political and economic future in the coming months.
