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The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado stated her full support for "the strategy of President Trump," concerning new seizures of oil tankers and a possible economic blockade against her country.
“We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and his administration,” said the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in an English interview from Oslo for CBS.
Machado stated that Trump is a "champion of freedom" for the Americas, while urging Latin America to follow the U.S. in a common approach that would "more effectively block the illicit activities of the Nicolás Maduro regime."
"We must raise the cost of clinging to power through force" in order for the regime to collapse and Venezuela to move "towards a negotiated transition."
"I would appreciate it if pressure were increased so that Maduro understands that he must go, that his time has come," he said when asked about his support for a potential U.S. invasion.
Last week, the U.S. seized a gigantic Venezuelan oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela that was transporting crude oil destined for Cuba.
The intercepted vessel is a VLCC-type oil tanker, identified as "Skipper", which is large in size and part of the so-called "dark fleet" dedicated to transporting sanctioned crude oil. The operation took place in Caribbean waters, off the coast of Venezuela, in a full naval and aerial deployment area of the United States under the umbrella of anti-narcotics and sanctions enforcement operations
The Nobel of María Corina
Last week, María Corina Machado traveled to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, at a time of significant international visibility and also great symbolic weight.
From there, he established a direct parallel between Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, countries that, as he acknowledged, have always been warning signs for Venezuelans, but whose experiences were ignored. “We used to say that Cuba is Cuba and Venezuela is not Cuba. And look at how we are now,” he said in the interview with RCN Televisión.
The Venezuelan opposition leader acknowledged that her country made a grave mistake, which it is now paying dearly for, by downplaying the weight and influence of the Cuban regime in the region.
"We underestimated the threat posed by the Cuban regime and what the loss of freedom would mean," he stated while reflecting on the 27 years of chavismo that have led Venezuela into one of the deepest crises in its history.
María Corina was welcomed last Thursday in Oslo with a sea of cheers, applause, supportive slogans, and hugs from a people who admire her strength.
According to the confirmation from the president of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the opposition member arrived in the Norwegian capital and went directly to meet with her family, following months of persecution and hiding in Venezuela.
Previously, her daughter Ana Corina Sosa received the award and read the speech in which the leader thanked for the international support and affirmed that "Venezuela will breathe again."
The arrival of the opposition leader came after a complicated journey out of Venezuela, which included a sea crossing to Curaçao before flying to Europe.
The relocation was carried out in secret due to the risk of arrest by Nicolás Maduro's regime.
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