Russia on Friday backed US President Donald Trump’s candidature for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is set to be announced today by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov reportedly made the statement just hours before the prize was scheduled to be announced.
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Moscow has repeatedly said that it appreciates Trump’s efforts to stop the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in comments published on Thursday that Kyiv would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize if he succeeds in securing a ceasefire.
Trump’s push for Nobel Peace Prize
Over the past few months, Trump has aggressively pushed for the prize, including public declarations that he deserves it and calls to Norwegian officials. The pressure on the Norwegian Nobel Committee was further increased after Trump helped secure a ceasefire and a possible peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
In a post on X, Trump’s son Eric on Thursday told his followers to “retweet if you believe @realDonaldTrump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.” Meanwhile, the White House’s official account also posted a photo of Trump on X, calling him “The Peace President”.
Hours before the announcement on Friday, Trump spoke about his achievements in helping secure a deal in Gaza and ending “eight wars”, while also targeting former US President Barack Obama for being given the award for “doing nothing”.
{{/usCountry}}Hours before the announcement on Friday, Trump spoke about his achievements in helping secure a deal in Gaza and ending “eight wars”, while also targeting former US President Barack Obama for being given the award for “doing nothing”.
{{/usCountry}}“He got it for doing nothing. Obama got a prize - he didn't even know what - he got elected, and they gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country,” he said.
Can Trump win the prize?
Longtime observers of the Nobel Prize told Associated Press that Trump's chances remain slim, despite his involvement in foreign policy initiatives for which he has taken personal credit.
Last year’s prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots group of Japanese survivors of the atomic bombings, who have spent decades campaigning against the use of nuclear weapons. The Nobel Peace Prize is the only one of the annual Nobel awards presented in Oslo, Norway.