President Donald Trump expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the latter’s reaction to the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision not to award him the Peace Prize. The committee instead awarded the honor to Venezuelan opposition politician Maria Corina Machado.
Putin praised Trump’s efforts in resolving conflicts, including the Middle East and Ukraine, while Trump criticized the committee for prioritizing politics over peace. The Nobel Committee’s decision has drawn sharp criticism from Trump’s administration, with White House communications director Steven Cheung stating that the members had ‘proved they place politics over peace.’
Trump’s public support for Putin’s comments highlights the contentious nature of the award. The Russian leader, who was on a state visit to Tajikistan, remarked that the Nobel Committee has a history of awarding individuals who in fact ‘did nothing for peace,’ thus discrediting the honor of the award to a large extent. Putin noted that while it was not his place to decide who should get the prize, Trump is ‘really doing a lot to resolve difficult crises, which last for years and decades.’ He cited the US president’s recent mediation between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East and his genuine efforts to put an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump published a screenshot of Putin speaking, declaring: ‘Thank you to President Putin!’ Earlier in the day, the Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition politician Maria Corina Mach, ‘for her tireless advocacy of democratic freedoms in Venezuela.’ The government in Caracas has accused Machado of channeling US funds to ‘fascist’ anti-government groups.
The official insisted that Trump ‘has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.’ The decision has sparked debates about the credibility of the Nobel Peace Prize, with many questioning whether the award is still a genuine honor or simply a political tool.