Hillary Clinton has conceded that she would support Donald Trump’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize if he successfully resolves the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
However, the former Secretary of State emphasized that Trump must persuade Russian leader Vladimir Putin to completely retreat all forces from occupied areas without any territorial concessions.
Clinton discussed this possibility prior to Trump’s critical meeting with Putin, set to take place at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base near Anchorage.
“From what I’ve gathered, he seems quite eager to be recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize,” she stated in a conversation with commentator Jessica Tarlov on the Raging Moderates podcast.
Clinton told how she would consider nominating Trump for the accolade if he could end the war in Ukraine.
But, she warned that Trump would have to agree a deal with one of the terms being Ukraine not losing any land to Moscow.
“If we could pull that off, if President Trump were the architect of that, I’d nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize,” she said.
She explained that she doesn’t want to allow a “capitulation” to Putin.
Trump was asked about the comment while on Air Force One to the high-stakes summit.
“That’s very nice,” he told Fox News. “I might have to start liking her again.”
White House officials have touted the idea of Trump being awarded the peace prize – a gong that was won by Barack Obama in December 2009.
Officials are reportedly “very serious” about helping Trump win the prize, per The Hill.
“There’s no question the pressure’s on,” a former aide, who served in Trump’s first term, told The Hill.
“Trump sees this prize as the ultimate capstone to how history will remember him.”
In July, Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary claimed: “It’s well past time that President Trump was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
She said the president had managed to broker around a peace agreement or ceasefire per month over his first six months of his second term.
Several world leaders, including Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has backed nominating Trump for the peace prize.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Manet, had previously nominated Trump for his role in achieving a ceasefire after tensions flared at the Cambodia-Thailand border.
Netanyahu handed over a letter to Trump – a moment that the president described as very meaningful.
Pakistan’s government also championed a move to nominate Trump, praising the leadership he showed in striking a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
Leaders in Rwanda and Gabon have also endorsed Trump.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe also praised Trump for his involvement in ending the three-decade-long conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Reports in the Norwegian press have claimed Trump cold-called the country’s finance minister to discuss the peace prize.
“Out of the blue, while finance minister was walking down the street in Oslo, Donald Trump called, he wanted the Nobel prize – and to discuss tariffs,” an excerpt in Dagens Næringsliv said.
If Trump wins the Nobel Peace Prize, he would join a small club of ex-presidents who achieved the feat.
Which countries have nominated or endorsed Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize?
SEVERAL countries have endorsed or supported calls for Donald Trump to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. These are:
- Pakistan
- Israel
- Cambodia
- Azerbaijan
- Armenia
- Rwanda
- Gabon
Obama was awarded the gong for his work to strengthen international diplomacy.
Jimmy Carter won the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his human rights work and conflict resolution efforts in his post-White House career.
Former president Theodore Roosevelt won the award for his role in ending the Russo-Japanese war that was fought between 1904 and 1905.
And, Woodrow Wilson was recognized in 1919 for creating the League of Nations.
Trump’s meeting with Putin will be his first in six years with the Russian strongman.
He warned Putin that Russia faces “very severe” consequences if he doesn’t seem interested in striking a peace deal.
Ahead of the summit, Russian forces launched aerial attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region and Ukrainian soldiers were forced to evacuate a Donetsk town.
“It’s well past time that President Trump was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Karoline Leavitt
Trump departed Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for Alaska earlier on Friday and during a gaggle on board Air Force One, he seemed to imply that Putin’s urge for killing may be in his genes.
“In [Putin’s] mind it helps him make a better deal if they can continue the killing,” he told reporters.
“Maybe it’s a part of the world, maybe it’s a part of his fabric, his genes, his genetics but he thinks it gives him strength in negotiating. I think it hurts him.”
Russian officials have been pictured arriving in Anchorage ahead of the high-stakes summit.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, was seen wearing a sweatshirt with Soviet Union branding on it.
Lavrov’s choice of clothing has been perceived a degree of trolling toward the West.
Trump-Putin’s meeting will not be the first high stakes summit that has taken place in Anchorage.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon held a 30-minute discussion with the Japanese Emperor Hirohito at the Elmendorf-Richardson base.
And in 2021, Joe Biden met with senior Chinese officials in Anchorage – just two months into his presidency.
But, the choice of Elmendorf-Richardson as a location means that there will be the optics of a Russian president visiting a US military base.
The White House had reportedly tried to avoid this possibility in the run-up to the summit but failed to find an alternative location.
