Overview
- María Corina Machado confirmed she received U.S. government assistance to leave Venezuela and reach Oslo after more than a year in hiding.
- She said she is coordinating with the U.S. and allied governments on political transition plans but stressed she is not involved in U.S. security or operational decisions.
- President Donald Trump announced the seizure of a large oil tanker off Venezuela as part of intensified Caribbean operations that have also destroyed suspected drug boats with reported heavy casualties.
- Machado asserted that Venezuela has been penetrated by Russian and Iranian agents, Hezbollah and Hamas, Colombian guerrillas, and drug cartels, urging the international community to cut their funding streams.
- She vowed to return to Venezuela despite arrest risks, as conflicting accounts persist over how and when she left the country and the tanker seizure stokes warnings of a potential naval blockade.