?? Comment of the Ambassador of Russia to Norway Nikolay Korchunov to RIA Novosti (December 10, 2025)

?The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today in Norway to Venezuelan opposition leader Mar?a Corina Machado. How would you comment on this choice, given the current political context surrounding Venezuela?

?? Answer: The decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition representative Mar?a Corina Machado indicates a departure from the basic principles set forth in Alfred Nobel's will. The decisive criterion for receiving this once prestigious award is now not a contribution to "the advancement of friendship among nations, the reduction of standing  armies, or the holding of peace congresses", but rather the nominee's usefulness in achieving domestic political goals determined from outside.

Leaving aside Machado's personal and professional qualities, we note that there are no real peacemaking and constructive steps in her track record. On the contrary, against the backdrop of her struggle for an allegedly "peaceful and democratic transition of power" in Venezuela, tensions around the country are only growing, finding expression in defamatory information campaigns, unprecedented political and economic pressure, attacks on courts, and the closure of airspace.

????The Nobel Peace Prize is currently being used as a tool for hybrid influence on "unwelcome authorities" and is increasingly associated with interference in the internal affairs of other states.

It is clear that those who decide on its award cannot avoid sharing responsibility for the consequences of further developments in Venezuela and around it.

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