Trump responds after Putin blasted Nobel Peace Prize decision

Donald Trump has responded after Vladimir Putin appeared to speak out on his behalf when he failed to win this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

It was revealed on Friday, October 10, that the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

Putin said the decision has caused the prize to lose 'credibility'.

He told reporters: "There have been cases where the committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to people who have done nothing for peace. In my view, these decisions have done enormous damage to the prestige of this prize."

Putin went on to say that Trump 'is truly doing a lot to resolve complex crises that have dragged on for years, even decades,' while speaking to reporters in Tajikistan.

Trump had hoped he would win the prize for his efforts to negotiate peace in Ukraine (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump had made it clear that he felt deserving of the award this year.

Putin added: “He’s definitely trying, he’s definitely working on these issues, on achieving peace and resolving complex international situations. The most striking example is the situation in the Middle East.

"If Donald can achieve everything he’s strived for, everything he’s talked about and is trying to accomplish, it will be a historic event."

He insisted: “But, I repeat, it is not for me to decide whether this is worthy of a prize or not, and whether this prize is worthy of achievements of this kind. That said, the credibility has largely been lost.”

Trump has responded to Putin's comments with delight.

He posted on Truth Social: "Thank you to President Putin!" alongside a video of Putin's response.

It comes as Machado thanked Trump for his 'decisive support' for Venezuela's pro-democracy movement, and dedicated her prize to him.

She wrote on X (formerly Twitter) "I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump."

The prize went to Maria Corina Machado (Photo by AFP VIDEOGRAPHICS/AFP via Getty Images)

"We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy," she added.

Trump previously said Machado called him following her win.

Speaking in the White House, he said: “The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today, called me, and said 'I'm accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it.' A really nice thing to do.

"I didn't say, 'Then give it to me', though."

However, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jorgen Watne Frydnes has defended their decision.

He said: "In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, this committee has seen [every] type of campaign.

"We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year, of people wanting to say what, for them, leads to peace."

"This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates and that room is filled with courage and integrity. We base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel."

However, Steven Cheung, Trump's Director of Communication said: "The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace."