Moldovan President Maia Sandu rejects Nobel Peace Prize nomination and says Ukrainian prisoners deserve it more

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has said she is not seeking the Nobel Peace Prize, for which she has been nominated. She stressed that there are more worthy candidates, including Ukrainian prisoners of war.

She said this on the TV8 program.

"I certainly appreciate it and am grateful that people are watching our country, that they appreciate our courage and resilience, but there are many people nominated for this prize. Today I looked at the [captive] Ukrainians who returned home from Russia, and these are people who truly deserve the peace prize," Sandu said.

She emphasized that it is precisely such people who truly sacrifice themselves for the sake of peace and security in the country and throughout Europe, so they are the most deserving of the award.

"But above all, they deserve peace, and we hope it will come as soon as possible," the Moldovan president added.

On February 2, Norwegian MP and Green Party leader Arild Hermstad proposed nominating Sandu for the Nobel Peace Prize. According to him, the Moldovan president deserves the nomination "for her active role in defending democracy, the rule of law, and peace in the country".

Hermstad said that Sandu is "on the front lines of defending democracy in Europe" and fighting Russiaʼs continued attempts to "destabilize former Soviet states".

• Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan politician Maria Corina Machado.

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