CARACAS, January 27. /TASS/. The government of Venezuela obeys the Venezuelan people, defying any external orders, Venezuela’s authorized President Delcy Rodriguez said on Venezolana de Televisión.

"The people of Venezuela have a government, and this government obeys the people, we have no other external factor to obey <…>, the people of Venezuela do not accept orders from any external power," Rodriguez stated. She decried recent statements from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as "irrelevant and offensive." The acting president of the Bolivarian Republic emphasized that Venezuela "is not afraid of relations of respect with the United States," given they are based on respect for international law and respect for the republic’s history.

Bessent reaffirmed that as long as the United States administers Venezuela, it would control the sale of its oil and "other resources" and that the country would hold a "free and fair election" at a time that the United States deems right.

Venezuela’s top diplomat Yvan Gil Pinto said on January 3 that the United States had attacked civilian and military facilities in Caracas. He condemned Washington’s actions as a military aggression. Venezuela declared a state of emergency. US President Donald Trump later confirmed the attack on Venezuela, saying that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country.

On January 5, the couple appeared before the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, where they face charges of alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Both pleaded not guilty. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president. Meanwhile, Trump said that Washington would "run" Venezuela in the interim.