Putin praises Trump’s peace efforts despite failing to win Nobel prize

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a news conference after the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Friday (Vladimir Smirnov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts, despite not winning a Nobel, and voiced hope for securing an agreement to extend a pivotal nuclear arms pact with Washington for another year.

Asked by reporters whether he thinks Mr Trump was unjustly passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize in favour of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Mr Putin replied that he was not the one to decide but extolled Mr Trump’s efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza and in Ukraine.