Norway's Foreign Ministry responded to Trump over criticism of the Nobel Committee

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, responding to criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump over the peace prize, emphasized that the Nobel Committee is an independent body.

“He knows perfectly well that the Nobel Committee is independent. We have reminded him of that,” Eide told the Norwegian television channel NRK.

The day before, Trump once again expressed dissatisfaction that he had not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and called Norway a “shithole.” Earlier, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to lawyer and human rights advocate Navanethem (Navi) Pillay from South Africa, who served as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. The laureate was recognized with the prize “for her efforts to strengthen peace and uphold the norms of international law.”