Ian Borg defends Trump Nobel nomination, denies trying to curry favour with US
'I did it as ex-chair of the OSCE and not in Malta's name' - Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister Ian Borg has defended his decision to nominate US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, insisting the move was based on his diplomatic achievements and not an exercise in "sucking up" to the American administration.
The deputy prime minister was facing a heated exchange with activist Andre Callus during the live online show Il-Każin on Wednesday, where he was grilled over whether a leader currently engaged in military strikes against Iran and a controversial intervention in Venezuela truly deserved the world's highest honour for peace.
Borg clarified that the nomination was made in his capacity as the former chair of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), rather than on behalf of the Maltese government. He argued that the move was specifically tied to Trump’s role in brokering a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia last summer.
"The two countries had kept the organisation hostage and were preventing it from carrying out its work," Borg said, adding that the resolution of the conflict allowed the OSCE to finally approve its budget.
However, host Mark Laurence Zammit interjected, suggesting the nomination was a strategic move "to look good with the Americans".
While Borg acknowledged that a minister might act that way if it were in the country's interest, he maintained this particular nomination was a merit-based decision.
The nomination, first revealed last October, has remained a point of friction, with critics arguing it clashes with Malta's recent recognition of the State of Palestine and its constitutional commitment to neutrality.
Israel, Venezuela, Greenland and Iran
Callus listed the human cost of Trump's foreign policy. The activist said 75,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza - including 21,000 children - using US-supplied weaponry.
He asked whether a president who supplied these weapons deserved such a prize, considering he also attacked Iran, invaded Venezuela and kidnapped its president "for oil" and threatening to take over Greenland multiple times.
The US and Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran in February and March 2026, targeting nuclear programs and infrastructure.
Just a month earlier, in January, US forces conducted an operation to seize President Nicolás Maduro, with Trump subsequently claiming rights to the country's oil.
Trump's administration also renewed threats of military action to acquire the territory of Greenland from Denmark.
"Don't you think your nomination diminishes our standing as a country?" Callus asked, describing the gesture as "an exercise in sucking up".
The Obama defence
Borg pushed back against the criticism by drawing a comparison to Barack Obama, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. He said Obama’s administration was also later involved in controversial wars in Libya and Afghanistan.
He said his letter to the US President also served as an encouragement for Trump to use his unique position to solve other global conflicts, specifically in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Il-Każin is held once a month in front of a live audience. Following a collaboration deal with Times of Malta, award-winning journalists Jon Mallia and Mark Laurence Zammit will alternate as hosts.