Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly commended U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace initiatives during a summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, despite Trump’s failure to secure the Nobel Peace Prize. Putin highlighted Trump’s efforts to broker ceasefires in Gaza and Ukraine, describing them as significant steps toward resolving long-standing conflicts. He refrained from commenting on Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s Nobel win but criticized the Nobel Committee for past awards to individuals he claimed contributed little to global peace. Trump expressed gratitude for Putin’s remarks on his Truth Social platform, sharing a video of the Russian leader’s comments. Putin also expressed optimism about extending the 2010 New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, which is set to expire in February. The treaty limits each country to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. Putin emphasized that while Russia is prepared to negotiate, the decision ultimately rests with the U.S. He warned that the treaty’s collapse would leave no arms control agreement between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko echoed Putin’s sentiments, calling the Nobel Committee’s decision not to award Trump the prize ‘sheer stupidity.’ Putin also revealed that he and Trump discussed potential solutions to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine during their August summit in Alaska, expressing hope for progress based on their discussions.