María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate, said she will return to Venezuela regardless of whether Nicolás Maduro is removed, but only when security conditions permit. Speaking in Oslo after her first public appearance in 11 months, she credited what she called President Trump’s "decisive" actions with weakening Maduro’s regime and urged democratic nations to take concrete steps beyond statements. Machado acknowledged U.S. assistance in her travel and reaffirmed her commitment to continuing the opposition effort.
Nobel Laureate María Corina Machado Vows to Return to Venezuela — Says U.S. Actions Have Weakened Maduro
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado speaks during a press conference at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB Scanpix via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
CARACAS — Opposition leader María Corina Machado said Thursday she intends to return to Venezuela whether or not President Nicolás Maduro is removed from power, arguing that the regime is at its weakest point after what she called U.S. President Donald Trump’s "decisive" actions.
Machado spoke to reporters in Oslo hours after making her first public appearance in 11 months following a ceremony where her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. She arrived in Norway after leaving Venezuela while in hiding.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado speaks during a press conference at the government's representative facilities in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Stian Lysberg Solum/NTB Scanpix, Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
On Returning Home
When asked whether a U.S. military intervention would be necessary to remove Maduro, Machado declined to answer directly. She said she will return “when we believe the security conditions are right, and it won’t depend on whether or not the regime leaves.” She added that, if Maduro remains in power when she returns, she expects to work clandestinely with supporters: “Certainly I will be with my people and they will not know where I am. We have ways to do that and take care of us.”
Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre hold a joint press conference at the government's representative facilities in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Stian Lysberg Solum/NTB Scanpix, Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Public Appearance and Background
Machado emerged from a hotel balcony in Oslo on Thursday to greet an emotional crowd of supporters. She had been in hiding since Jan. 9, after a brief detention following protests in Caracas. Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in October on her behalf; Machado was recognized for leading one of the most significant peaceful challenges in years to Maduro’s government.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, centre, visits the Storting in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix, Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
International Context and Requests
Her visit comes amid a contentious U.S.-led military operation in the Caribbean that the White House says aims to stem drug trafficking. Reporting has attributed some 80 deaths to the operation; critics, including analysts and Maduro, have interpreted aspects of it as affecting the balance of power in Venezuela. Machado urged democratic governments to move beyond statements and take concrete steps to cut the illicit resources that sustain repression.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado speaks during a press conference at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB Scanpix via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
“We, the Venezuelan people that have tried every single, you know, institutional mean, ask support from the democratic nations in the world to cut those resources that come from illegal activities and support repressive approaches,” she told reporters. “It’s not a matter of statements… it’s a matter of action.”
Logistics, Asylum and Election Context
Machado declined to provide details about her route to Norway but thanked those who she said risked their lives to get her there and acknowledged U.S. assistance. Flight-tracking data show the plane that carried her flew to Oslo from Bangor, Maine.
Machado won an opposition primary and planned to challenge Maduro in the 2024 presidential election, but she was barred from running and retired diplomat Edmundo González took her place. The campaign and vote were marked by disqualifications, arrests and reported human rights abuses; Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, seen as aligned with Maduro, declared him the winner. González later sought asylum in Spain after a Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant.
Diplomatic Meetings and Final Remarks
On Thursday Machado met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who said Norway stands ready to support a democratic transition and the rebuilding of institutions in Venezuela. Standing alongside the Norwegian leader, Machado said, “We decided to fight until the end and Venezuela will be free.”
