Venezuela's main opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, stated she has "no regrets" about presenting her Nobel medal to US President Donald Trump. Machado gave the medal to Trump during a meeting at the White House in January, two weeks after he allegedly ordered US special forces to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas.
At a conference in Madrid on Saturday, Machado was quoted by AFP as saying that Trump's military operation to remove Maduro, who is currently detained in the US facing drug trafficking charges, is "something we Venezuelans will never forget". She said, "There is a leader in the world, a head of state in the world, who risked the lives of his country's citizens for Venezuela's freedom".
Trump, who has long publicly coveted the Nobel Peace Prize, called Machado's presentation of the medal at the time a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect". However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which honored Machado for her tireless campaign to restore democratic rights in Venezuela and her struggle for a peaceful transition from authoritarian rule, made clear after the handover that the prize is nontransferable and cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others.
Machado, who had been living in hiding before leaving Venezuela in December to collect her prize in Oslo, said she is coordinating her return to the country with Washington. She stated, "I am speaking with the US government, and we are working in coordination, with mutual respect and understanding", adding that she believes Washington is "key to advancing a democratic transition" in Venezuela.
Nevertheless, Trump has publicly questioned Machado's standing, calling her a "very nice woman" but saying she lacks "respect" within Venezuela. He has instead backed Maduro's former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, as the country's interim leader. Venezuela's opposition last week called for presidential elections; Machado, who was banned from running in the disputed 2024 vote that returned Maduro to power, has not yet said whether she would stand in a future poll.
While in Spain, Machado declined a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, citing his hosting of a progressive leaders' summit in Barcelona as proof the meeting was "not advisable". Sanchez had said he was willing to meet her at any time. This snub contrasts with her frequent encounters with Sanchez's right-wing opponents.
Source: www.aljazeera.com