Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Friday she would personally nominate President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize if he secures peace between Russia and Ukraine. Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss ending the war that began in February 2022. Clinton made the remarks on the “Raging Moderates” podcast, laying out the conditions for such recognition.
“I understand that [Trump] would very much like to win the Nobel Peace Prize,” Clinton told host Jessica Tarlov. “And honestly, if he could bring about the end to this terrible war where Putin is the aggressor invading a neighbor country [and] trying to change the borders, if he could end it without putting Ukraine in a position where it had to concede its territory to the aggressor [or] had to, in a way, validate Putin’s vision of greater Russia, but instead could really stand up to Putin…which is something we haven’t seen, but maybe this is the opportunity — to make it clear that there must be a ceasefire, there will be no exchange of territory, and the over a period of overtime, Putin should be actually withdrawing from the territory he seized in order to demonstrate his good faith efforts not to threaten European security.”
“If President Trump were the architect of that, I’d nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize,” Clinton continued. She emphasized the importance of no territorial concessions and holding Putin accountable for his aggression.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine quickly. He has often said it “never would have happened” if former President Joe Biden were not in charge. In May, Trump announced that negotiations would begin following a two-hour call with Putin, though Putin appeared reluctant to engage directly with Ukraine.
On July 14, Trump gave Putin a 50-day deadline to begin peace talks. He threatened “severe” sanctions and tariffs against Russia if they failed to move forward. Later, he shortened the deadline to “10 or 12 days” after continued Kremlin resistance.
Trump also imposed a 50% tariff on India on Aug. 11 for importing Russian oil. Despite the move, India signaled it would continue purchasing energy from Moscow. This added another layer of complexity to the tense negotiations.
In a final push, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin on Aug. 6. The two reportedly spoke for three hours about possible paths to peace. Whether those talks will lead to a breakthrough remains uncertain.