Since taking over the Venezuelan regime on an interim basis with the fall of dictator Nicolás Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez has walked a tightrope, trying to balance pressure from Chavista allies with US demands.
This Sunday (25), during a speech at the Puerto La Cruz refinery, in the state of Anzoátegui, the dictator asked Donald Trump’s government to “immediately” cease what she considers interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs. Rodríguez declared to the workers who participated in the event: “Enough with orders from Washington”, a radical change in the tone of cooperation with the Americans.
The Chavismo representative adopted a narrative more in line with that used by Maduro to deal with Venezuela’s problems. Rodríguez related the country’s current situation to the effects of international pressure and sanctions imposed by sectors she described as “fascist” and “extremist”.
She stated in her speech that “the Republic paid a very high price for having to face the consequences of fascism and extremism”, emphasizing that her regime’s priority is “defending the homeland and its territorial integrity”.
Last week, a White House official cited by EFE Agency reported that Venezuela’s interim dictator is expected to visit Washington “soon.”
The announcement about Delcy Rodríguez’s trip comes days after a meeting between Trump and the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, whom the Republican has excluded, for now, from the country’s transition process because he considers that she does not have sufficient support.
In an interview with the magazine The Atlanticjust days after Maduro’s capture, Trump stated that Rodríguez will pay a “very high price” if he does not cooperate with the US.
