This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, has dedicated her award to the people of her country and to President Trump for his “decisive support” for democracy in Venezuela.

Machado applauded the recognition of Venezuela’s struggle for freedom in a post on the social media platform X. 

“We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” she wrote.

“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!” she continued. 

Her remarks come at a time of heightened tension between the U.S. and Venezuelan government, and Trump’s own public campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The U.S. government has carried out at least four strikes against boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, the latest of which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said happened in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. 

The Venezuelan government has criticized American operations in the area, alleging the U.S. has threatened its national security and contravened international law. In turn, both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have criticized the country’s leadership.

“Maduro’s illegitimate regime has undermined Venezuela’s institutions, violated human rights, and endangered our regional security,” Rubio wrote on X, referring to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

In a press release announcing Machado’s win, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Machado for her “civilian courage” in a “brutal, authoritarian state.”

Trump and his allies have publicly sought to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the weeks leading up to the award, citing his involvement in ending at least seven conflicts since re-entering office in January. 

He was formally nominated for the prize by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) on Thursday for his role in brokering a peace deal between Israel and Hamas. The deadline for nominations is typically Jan. 31, which fell early in Trump’s second term.

After Machado’s win was announced, White House aide Steven Cheung alleged the committee had put “politics over peace.”

Trump said last month it would be an “insult to our country” if he did not win. In the days leading up to the prize’s announcement, he walked back his statement, saying that “whatever they [the committee] do is fine.”

“I didn’t do it for that,” Trump said. “I did it because I saved a lot of lives.”