He President Gustavo Petro came again to the step of the appointment of the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado as winner of Nobel Peace Prize 2025with a criticism that generated a stir. His intervention attracted attention both for its harshness and for the nuance that he wanted to make clear: “I do not defend Maduro”.
From his account on X, Petro opened his message by specifying that his criticism did not imply support for the regime of Nicolas Maduro. “I do not defend Maduro”, he stated.
(Further: The positions of the leaders of America regarding the Nobel Peace Prize of María Corina Machado).
From there, he questioned Machado’s ties to controversial international actors, and was particularly harsh when inviting her to “turn away from Netanyahu and his Nazi friends”, arguing that these relationships could put Venezuelan sovereignty at risk.
I do not defend Maduro, I only ask María Corina Machado if she can distance herself from Netanyahu and his Nazi friends, and if she is capable of helping stop an invasion of her country and promote dialogue with everyone.
No decent citizen of Venezuela can wish for the invasion…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 12, 2025
In his publication, the president wrote: “I only ask María Corina Machado if she can distance herself from Netanyahu and his Nazi friends, and if she is capable of helping stop an invasion of her country and promote dialogue with everyone.”.
(You may be interested in: Hamas refuses to hand over its weapons and leave Gaza, despite Trump’s peace plan).
To reinforce his position, Petro alluded to the regional risk that an external international alignment could bring: “If (an invasion) occurs, all of Latin America and the Caribbean will then live another hundred years of loneliness“In addition, he made it clear that Colombia”will help with everything to dialogue between Venezuelans, never to an invasion of our great homeland”.
Petro’s criticism of Machado’s letter to Netanyahu
In December 2018, María Corina Machado signed a letter addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which she requested his support to restore democracy in Venezuela.
(Corrected letter)
Mrs. María Corina Machado
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize:
This letter that I present below, was published with his signature and is addressed to Benjamín Netanyahu and Mauricio Macri, to Macri, thanking that part of his people have been welcomed there, (the majority…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 11, 2025
(You can read: ‘Why do you ask a criminal for help?’: Petro questioned Machado’s letter to Netanyahu).
Petro did not let that relationship pass as something anecdotal. In his critique, he asked: “Why do you request help from a criminal against humanity, with an international arrest warrant, to bring democracy to Venezuela?”.
He also added: “What does it mean that you seek support from the only Latin American president who supported genocide and the genocide?“To reinforce his argument, he said that “It is not by leading Netanyahu to action for Venezuela that the Venezuelan people will be helped.”.
PORTFOLIO
