Norway fears provoking Trump as Nobel Peace Prize winner set to be announced

Ahead of this year's Nobel Peace Prize announcement, voices in Norway are expressing concern about how Donald Trump might react if he is again passed over for the award. While Trump has made fewer public statements about wanting the prize than he did last year, there are fears that being passed over could translate into pressure on Norway.

The Washington Post reported Thursday (local time) that Norway remains on alert over the potential fallout from Trump not receiving this year's prize. This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner is to be announced Friday at 6 p.m. Korean Standard Time.

Those concerns are rooted in Trump's reaction to past results. In January, amid tensions with Europe over Greenland, Trump sent a text message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressing his displeasure at not having received the Nobel Peace Prize.

The message reportedly read: "Since your country has decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize, despite my having ended more than eight wars, I no longer feel obligated to think only of peace."

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects the prize winner, operates independently of the government. However, local figures worry that because committee members are appointed by the Norwegian parliament, Trump could hold the Norwegian government responsible for the selection outcome.

Some have gone so far as to propose suspending the prize altogether. Kjetil Tronvoll, vice rector for research at Oslo New University College, told the Post that it might be better to pause the peace prize for three years until Trump leaves office, so as not to needlessly provoke him. He also criticized the committee for failing to adequately weigh the geopolitical consequences and risks of its selections.

Last year, Trump called Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg directly to demand the prize, signaling strong personal interest in winning it. This year, amid the conflict with Iran and ongoing tensions with Europe and international organizations, such remarks have become less frequent. Henrik Urdal, a research professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo who previously served as deputy chair of the Nobel Committee, told the Post that Trump appears to have been left out of the prize conversation this year.

Even so, Trump has continued to insist he deserves the award. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday (local time), he said he had "resolved eight wars," including some major ones. He also mentioned that Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who won last year's prize, had given him her Nobel Peace Prize medal as a gift.

Among those cited as potential winners this year are Save the Children, Mykola Kuleba — founder of Save Ukraine, an organization working to return Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia — and the Emergency Response Room, a volunteer relief network in Sudan. Pope Leo XIV, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice have also been mentioned as candidates.

Earlier, an announcement was made in South Korea that the country's entire citizenry had been nominated for the prize in recognition of overcoming the Dec. 3 emergency martial law crisis. Kim Eui-young, a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University, said in February that a group of current and former presidents of the World Political Science Association and other political scientists had nominated South Korea's "Citizen Collective" for the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, this year's pool of nominees includes 208 individuals and 79 organizations. The names of nominees, nominators and nomination letters are kept confidential for 50 years. The award ceremony will be held in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 10.