Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Friday promised political change after slipping out of the country in secret to collect the Nobel Peace Prize, as the shock waves intensified from the Trump administration's seizure of an oil tanker earlier this week.

Experts say that Russian and Chinese support for Venezuela has largely dried up, with no prospect of real military or financial aid.

Now, President Donald Trump wants Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power. Maduro’s “days are numbered,” Trump told Politico in an interview released on Dec. 9. His Administration considers Maduro the head of a government-sponsored cocaine smuggling syndicate.

Maria Corina Machado, asked by CBS News' Margaret Brennan about Trump's threat of land strikes, said she'd "welcome more and more pressure" on Maduro.

With the economy in ruins, and U.S. military forces off the coast, uncertainty and rumors mark life in Venezuela, dampening the yuletide mood.

In September, U.S. F-35B stealth fighters, helicopters, and transport aircraft touched down at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, marking the base’s operational revival after two decades of closure.

As a result, a successful regime change operation in Venezuela risks damaging the already fragile Cuban economy, as Cuba would likely be obliged to renegotiate an oil deal with Venezuela on less favourable terms. Venezuelan oil shipments to the island could also stop altogether because of American sanctions.

Analysts tell Fox News Digital the next phase of Venezuela’s crisis hinges on Trump’s National Security Strategy and whether Washington pushes Maduro toward negotiation.