Venezuelan opposition leader and recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado has urged President Nicolas Maduro to step down voluntarily, saying he still has a chance to ensure a peaceful transition of power. Speaking to AFP from hiding on Monday, Machado suggested that Maduro could receive personal guarantees if he agreed to relinquish control without violence.

“Maduro currently has the opportunity to move toward a peaceful transition,” said the 58-year-old opposition figurehead, as reports surfaced of a flotilla of U.S. gunboats stationed near Venezuela’s coast. “We are ready to offer guarantees, but we will not make them public until negotiations begin.”

Machado warned that continued resistance from Maduro would have consequences, adding that “with or without negotiation, he will leave power.”

Reflecting on her unexpected Nobel Peace Prize win last week, Machado described it as “one of the biggest surprises” of her life but said she hopes to use the recognition — along with growing U.S. pressure — to help bring an end to more than 25 years of rule by Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

She also hinted that guarantees would be extended to those who aid in a transition, particularly members of the military, a key pillar of the current regime. “This message has been sent to the entire structure of the armed forces, police, and public employees,” she said. “More and more military personnel are reaching out and providing us with information.”