By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Donald Trump is doing "a lot" to resolve complex crises around the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday, following the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Venezuelan opposition leader, even though several countries recommended Trump's name for the award.
During a press conference in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, following a three-day visit to the Central Asian nation that began late Wednesday, Putin commented on the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize, saying it is not up to him to decide who receives the award.
“There have been cases where the committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to people who have done nothing for peace,” Putin said, arguing that he thinks these decisions have done “enormous damage” to the award’s prestige.
He said that the Nobel Committee has consequently lost its "authority” and refrained from responding to whether Trump deserved the award.
“But he really does a lot to resolve such complex crises that last for years, even decades,” the Russian president further said, highlighting the situation in Gaza and arguing that it will be a “historic event” if Trump’s 20-point plan for the enclave is implemented.
Regarding Ukraine, Putin reaffirmed his belief that Trump is "sincerely striving" to end the three-and-a-half-year war in the country.
Earlier in the day, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.