Maria Corina Machado calls Trump’s moves on Venezuela 'decisive' amid ongoing political turmoil

WASHINGTON, DC: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she believes President Donald Trump's actions have played a significant role in increasing pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government.

Speaking at a news conference in Norway, on Thursday, December 11, Machado described the measures taken by the United States as "decisive" in contributing to what she views as a weakened regime in Caracas. 

She reiterated that Venezuela's opposition will continue its efforts regardless of foreign governments' timelines or strategies.

Global scrutiny challenges Venezuelan government 

Machado said Maduro's government had previously operated with a sense of "absolute impunity," but she believes that pressure from the international community has changed that.

She added that increasing the costs of Maduro remaining in power and lowering the costs of a transition remain central to the opposition's goal. 

Machado said Trump's actions over the years have been instrumental in shaping the current landscape. 

“I believe every country has the right to defend themselves, and in our case, I believe that President Trump’s actions have been decisive to reach the point where we are right now, in which the regime is weaker than ever,” she said.

She added that Maduro's government is beginning to recognize growing international scrutiny. “

The regime previously thought that they could do anything, anything. They felt they had absolute impunity,” Machado said. “Now, they start to understand that this is serious and the world is really watching.”

Responding to questions about whether the US had set a declined about whether the US had set a deadline for Maduro to leave power, Machado declined to discuss foreign governments' strategies.

“I’m not going to speculate on strategies or measures to be carried out by foreign countries in terms of foreign policy,” she said.

“I don’t know the intentions of other foreign countries. I don’t know if they have a deadline. We don’t have any deadlines. We’re going to continue to the very end," she added.

Oil tanker seizure and international support 

Machado also addressed the recent seizure of an oil tanker by the Trump administration, saying she supports actions aimed at restricting revenue sources connected to illicit activities.

“The regime is using the resources — the cash flows that come from illegal activities, including the black market of oil — not to give food for hungry children, not for teachers who earn $1 a day, not to hospitals in Venezuela that do not have medicine or water, not for security. They use those resources to repress and persecute our people,” she said.

“So yes, these criminal groups have to be stopped, and cutting the sources of illegal activities is a very necessary step to take.” 

Without naming specific countries, Machado called for broader backing from democratic nations, saying “We know that our regime is supporting itself thanks to other authoritarian regimes. We need the support of all democracies in the world. That’s why we are certainly asking the world to act.”

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the tanker had been sanctioned for several years because of its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network linked to foreign terrorist organizations, including networks connected to Venezuela and Iran.