Putin vouches for Trump while blasting Nobel over peace prize choice

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday lavished praise on US President Donald Trump for his tireless peace efforts, lamenting that Trump was unjustly overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize in favour of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. 

Putin emphasised that Trump truly promotes peace and deserves credit, while blasting the Nobel Committee for handing the prize to those who have done nothing, eroding the meaning and prestige of the award.

Speaking to reporters in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, during a summit of former Soviet nations, Putin made it clear he wasn't deciding Nobel winners but hailed Trump's substantial work toward resolving longstanding crises. 

"He's really doing a lot to resolve such complex crises that have lasted for years and even decades," Putin said of Trump, highlighting his push for a ceasefire in Gaza and progress in Ukraine. 

He described a potential Gaza ceasefire deal as a "historic" achievement if realized.

Putin refrained from directly addressing Machado's win but pointedly criticised past Nobel decisions without naming recipients. 

"There have been cases where the committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to people who have done nothing for peace," he stated. 

"A person comes, good or bad, and (gets it) in a month, in two months, boom. For what? He didn't do anything at all. In my view, these decisions have done enormous damage to the prestige of this prize."

Shifting to the ongoing Ukraine conflict, now exceeding 3 1/2 years, Putin revealed that he and Trump had discussed settlement paths during their August summit in Alaska. 

He noted a shared understanding between the US and Russia on the way forward, saying, "on the whole, we have an understanding, both on the part of the United States and on the part of the Russian Federation, about where we should move and what we should strive for in order to end this conflict.

"Putin mentioned telling Trump in Alaska that he required more time to consult with Russia's allies on the complex issues. 

"These are complex issues that require further analysis, but we remain committed to the discussion that took place in Anchorage," he added, expressing optimism that much could still be achieved based on those talks.

In a further show of goodwill toward Trump, Putin voiced strong hope for extending the pivotal 2010 New START nuclear arms treaty with Washington for another year before its February expiration. 

The agreement caps each nation's deployed nuclear warheads at 1,550 and deployed missiles and bombers at 700. Responding to Putin's September proposal, Trump had called it "a good idea" on Sunday.

Putin affirmed that time remains for an agreement "if there is good will" from the US, but stressed Russia's readiness regardless, having modernised its nuclear arsenal. Still, he warned that the pact's end would leave no arms control framework between the world's top nuclear powers. 

"We're ready to negotiate if the Americans, the American side sees it as acceptable and useful," he said. "If not, then no. It would be a pity, because there would be nothing left at all in terms of deterrence in the area of strategic offensive weapons."