The hard-line Venezuelan leader who once labeled Donald Trump a “racist cowboy” has extended an unexpected olive branch, congratulating the president-elect on his election win over Vice President Kamala Harris.

Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, has made a series of statements suggesting his openness to a reset in relations with the U.S. His foreign ministry first issued a congratulatory message to the American people and Trump, expressing Venezuela’s readiness for “good relations… grounded in dialogue, respect, and common sense.”

In his radio program, Con Maduro de Repente (or Suddenly with Maduro), Maduro described Trump’s election as a “historic return” and urged him to seize the “golden opportunity… to pacify the world” and reshape U.S.-Latin American relations, according to the state-run Agencia Venezolana de Noticias.

Reflecting on Trump’s first term—which saw a harsh sanctions campaign aimed at ousting him—Maduro noted it “did not go well for us” but framed the new term as a “new beginning,” hoping for a “win-win scenario” for both nations.

For Maduro, Trump’s victory represents an opportunity for much-needed international legitimacy, said Moisés Naím, a Venezuelan writer and former minister. However, any move by Trump to improve ties may face resistance from the Venezuelan-American community in South Florida, who are largely anti-Maduro and part of Trump’s base.

Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, commented on X that Maduro is taking a “fully transactional approach” with Trump, though he may end up disappointed. Ramsey noted that Trump may prioritize stemming migration and safeguarding U.S. interests in Venezuela’s oil sector over the “maximum-pressure” strategy of his previous term.