The ousted president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, captured on January 3 by the US military, declared on his social media on Sunday that he was "holding strong" and published previously unseen photos of himself in a grey tracksuit from his New York prison.

In both photos published, Maduro is wearing a grey tracksuit and making the "V" with his fingers, a sign of victory.

He appears to have lost a lot of weight since his capture. The photographs, made public on Sunday, date from June 25, according to the camera's timestamp, one day after the deadly double earthquake that killed more than 6,500 people and left thousands missing in Venezuela.

"I am sending these photos as a small gift to all my grandsons and granddaughters, to boys and girls, and to all the noble people who love us," he wrote on the Telegram messaging service.

"I want you to know that we are holding strong, our hearts filled with your love," he continued. "We will remain strong, calm, and confident: God is with us. God will provide. Venezuela will rise again," he concluded, echoing the new slogan of the Venezuelan government (Venezuela renacera) after the earthquakes.

This message comes two days after her successor, interim president Delcy Rodriguez, announced a "historic" oil deal with the United States that will exploit deposits in Venezuela.

Ms. Rodriguez, who governs under strong pressure from Washington, said on Saturday that she had "chosen the path of diplomacy", hoping that Venezuela would become an "energy power".

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, captured in Caracas during a spectacular US military operation in January, are incarcerated in a Brooklyn prison, accused of drug and firearms trafficking, crimes which both deny.

In prison, Maduro has no access to newspapers or the internet, but he is allowed to speak by phone with his family and lawyers for about 300 minutes a month, with a maximum of 15 minutes per call, according to a source close to the leader. It is likely through this channel that he regularly posts online.

His son Nicolas Maduro Guerra, known as "Nicolasito", assures that he is in good health and that he devotes his time to studying the Bible.

The trial against Maduro and his wife in the United States will begin on June 1, 2027, a federal court in New York announced at the end of July.