Lebanese journalist and writer Ricardo Karam commented on X about the awarding of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, noting that her name was not widely known before she was suddenly honored with this prestigious award.

Karam wrote: "She is from Venezuela, a country familiar with hunger and despair. She stood up to a harsh regime and showed undeniable courage. But courage alone does not make a symbol of peace, especially when it comes from a voice that has supported war."

A Struggle for Justice

The hashtag #MaríaCorinaMachado trended across social media platforms, with widespread praise for her strong personality, her skillful handling of crises, and her efforts to promote democratic rights and achieve a fair and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela.

On Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to Machado in recognition of her tireless efforts to advance democratic rights for the Venezuelan people and her continuous struggle for justice and freedom.

The announcement came at a time when many had expected the prize to go to the U.S. president, who has repeatedly claimed he deserves it for his contributions to resolving international conflicts, including his plan to end the two-year war in Gaza, which helped bring about a ceasefire between Gaza and Tel Aviv.

Numerous public figures and members of the general public expressed their joy at Machado’s award, considering her political efforts and commitment to human rights deserving of global recognition.

Last year, the Japanese peace organization Nihon Hidankyo won the prize in recognition of its work promoting a world free of nuclear weapons, based on testimonies from survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The remaining Nobel Prizes for this year are scheduled to be announced in Stockholm in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature, while the Peace Prize is uniquely awarded in Oslo. Each prize is valued at 11 million Swedish kronor, approximately 1.1 million dollars.

Russian Support for Trump

The Russian news agency TASS quoted Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov expressing Russia’s support for Trump’s nomination, calling his efforts to end the war in Ukraine worthy of recognition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also stated that Kyiv would support Trump’s candidacy if he succeeded in achieving a ceasefire.

"Ending Seven Wars"

Despite Trump’s repeated claims that he has ended seven wars since returning to the White House last January—conflicts including Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Tel Aviv and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan—veteran Nobel Peace Prize observers have ruled out his receiving the award this year.