Hours after President Donald Trump threatened “a second strike” in Venezuela with a fate worse than the Maduros’, acting President Delcy Rodríguez has struck a diplomatic tone in her latest statement inviting the Americans for collaboration.

Ms Rodriguez dialled down her initial scathing remarks, where she accused the U.S. of kidnapping the Venezuelan leader, embracing a diplomatic approach to douse tensions between both countries.

She asked Mr Trump for “respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela”, devoid of “external threats”.

“We invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law,” added Ms Rodriguez. “Our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolás Maduro’s message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now.”

Mr Trump had changed his tone with Venezuela on Sunday, threatening that Ms Rodriguez will pay “a very big price” if she fails to align with U.S. interests.

“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Mr Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday.