U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected claims that foreign governments had been asked to prevent Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado from returning to her country.
At a news conference in Athens on Wednesday with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Rubio addressed reports that the U.S. State Department had intervened to restrict Machado’s movements.

“The premise of your question is not correct. We have not asked anyone anywhere in the world to prevent someone else from entering,” Rubio said.
The U.S. secretary said that published reports did not, by themselves, constitute proven facts. He said he could not respond to accusations based on claims that were described as false.
Machado’s political standing
Machado, leader of Venezuela’s opposition movement Vente Venezuela, has been described as one of President Nicolas Maduro’s leading political rivals.

Machado’s senior adviser, David Smolansky, said that the leader’s entry into Venezuela had been blocked three times within 24 hours in late September.
Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to defend the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people. Maduro was captured in a U.S.-organized raid in January.