The events surrounding US President Donald Trump's quest to receive the Nobel Prize, along with his meeting last night with the 2025 Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Corina Machado, are in the focus of the world media, BTA writes.
Trump "received" a Nobel Prize from the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, notes the British newspaper "Telegraph". He intends to keep the medal and called Machado's gift "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect". She, in turn, is trying to charm him and attract him to her side, the publication points out.
The American president has never hidden his desire to be awarded the prestigious award, which has been received by several American presidents, including Barack Obama. Machado, for her part, said she presented him with the award "in recognition of his unique dedication to supporting our freedom."
There have been previous allegations that Trump did not support Machado as Venezuela's leader after the capture of Nicolas Maduro because she received the prize, not him, notes the Telegraph.
"Machado's Nobel gambit," as the Washington Post calls it, is an impressive attempt by the Venezuelan opposition leader to win back the US president's favor at a time when he is showing more inclination to get closer to those left behind by Maduro's regime.
Machado's efforts to meet with Trump were an attempt to regain her influence in the discussion about the future of her country, while the military threat from the US continues to weigh on the new leadership in Caracas. after the president's demands that Venezuela open its oil fields to American companies.
Trump expressed doubts that Machado has enough influence to take a leadership position in his homeland, notes the "Washington Post". Instead, he supported Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro's vice president, but said she was ready to give a pro-American character to her leadership while preserving the existing regime.
Machado's meeting with Trump lasted about two and a half hours, without cameras – something unusual for the president, who usually likes to show his meetings with foreign leaders to the whole world, notes the "Washington Post". The discreet visit may be a sign of his efforts to strengthen ties with the current Venezuelan government.
On Wednesday, Trump held his first direct conversation with Rodriguez, and both commented positively on the meeting – an unexpected outcome, given the fierce rhetoric that the two countries have used towards each other in the past, the American publication notes.
For its part, the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo emphasized yesterday that the laureates can dispose of the gold medal associated with the award as they see fit. "The medal can change its owner, but not the title of the laureate", the French newspaper "Figaro" points out.
To explain her action, Maria Corina Machado made a comparison with the Marquis de Lafayette, the French officer who helped the United States during the war of independence from Great Britain, recalling that he presented Simón Bolívar with a medal with the image of the first American president, George Washington, writes "Figaro". The Venezuelan national hero successfully led a series of independence struggles against Spain.
"The people of Bolívar are returning a medal to Washington's successor, in this case the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado emphasized.
Donald Trump has so far rejected the idea of holding elections in Venezuela and prefers to "dictate" until further notice the decisions of the ruling team that remained in power in Caracas after the capture of the ousted president by US special forces, writes "Figaro".
Maria Corina Machado "is a truly remarkable and courageous voice for many Venezuelans," White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt noted during the meeting.
Levitt added that Trump "hopes" that "someday" there will be new elections in Venezuela, notes the British newspaper "The Guardian". "But I can't give you an actual timetable today," she added.
"First we have to fix the country. There can't be elections. People wouldn't be able to vote," the US president told NBC two days after Maduro's capture.
Meanwhile, according to Levitt, Rodriguez and leading ministers in her "interim administration" are in constant contact with their American counterparts and are "extremely cooperative," the Guardian reported.
"So far they have met all the requirements of the United States and the president," she added, referring to the release of five US citizens from Venezuelan prisons this week.
Rodriguez indicated yesterday that she was ready to restore relations between the United States and Venezuela, during the annual State of the Union address in Caracas, which she delivered on behalf of Maduro.