The imprisoned leader is innocent, Delcy Rodrguez told NBC as the US energy secretary visits Caracas to overhaul the oil sector

Nicolas Maduro remains Venezuela's legitimate leader despite his capture by US forces a month ago, the country's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, told NBC News on Thursday.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were seized in a US military raid on Caracas on January 3 and flown to New York, where they are being held in federal custody facing drug trafficking charges. Both have pleaded not guilty. Rodriguez, who served as Maduro's vice president, assumed power following the intervention.

Rodriguez insisted that both Maduro and Flores are innocent and condemned US actions. At the same time, she has moved to normalize relations with Washington. She told NBC she has been invited to the US capital and is "contemplating coming there once we establish this cooperation."

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright arrived in Caracas on Wednesday to assess the country's oil industry and for talks with Rodriguez focused on overhauling Venezuela's energy sector and revitalizing its economy. He described relations between Caracas and Washington as "at a pivot in history."

The diplomatic thaw comes as Washington has been openly seeking control over Venezuela's vast oil wealth. The country holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, roughly one-fifth of the global total. Wright announced the years-long US embargo on Venezuelan oil "essentially over" and called for a "dramatic increase" in output, with revenues flowing to specific projects.

US President Donald Trump has warned Rodriguez that if she "doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro." Rodriguez previously pushed back against Trump's threats, declaring she has had "enough of Washington's orders" and insisting Venezuelans alone would "resolve our differences and our internal conflicts."

Washington's actions against Venezuela have drawn international condemnation. Russia's Foreign Ministry called the operation against Maduro "a flagrant violation of international law," with UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia describing it as "international banditry" driven by desire for "unlimited control over natural resources."

(RT.com)