New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) In an unexpected twist, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would nominate her longtime political rival US President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize — if he manages to end the Russia-Ukraine war without forcing Kyiv to cede any territory to Moscow.
Clinton made the surprising remark just hours before Trump’s high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a Cold War-era military installation in Anchorage, Alaska.
Speaking on ‘Raging Moderates’ podcast, Clinton said, “If he could bring about the end to this terrible war, if he could end it without putting Ukraine in a position where it had to concede its territory to the aggressor, could really stand up to Putin — something we haven’t seen — but maybe this is the opportunity. If President Trump were the architect of that, I’d nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Clinton emphasised the geopolitical stakes, saying, “He is not meeting a friend. He is meeting an adversary who wants to see the destruction of the US and the Western alliance.”
Her comments underscored the gravity of the Alaska summit, which some observers called a potential turning point in the nearly three-year-long conflict in Eastern Europe.
The Clinton-Trump rivalry dates back to the 2016 US presidential election, when Trump defeated the former First Lady in a bruising contest. During that campaign, Clinton criticised Trump’s admiration for authoritarian leaders like Putin.
“He praises dictators like Vladimir Putin and picks fights with our friends,” she said.
She also famously referred to some of his supporters as a “basket of deplorables,” and called Trump “temperamentally unfit” for office. In return, Trump repeatedly mocked Clinton on the campaign trail and later questioned her handling of foreign policy as Secretary of State.
Despite their acrimonious history, Clinton’s remarks suggest that even she might acknowledge a breakthrough should Trump succeed in ending the war on favorable terms for Ukraine.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the war in Ukraine “quickly,” although critics have questioned how he would achieve that, particularly given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s insistence on Ukraine recognising Russia’s territorial claims and lifting Western sanctions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the summit, has firmly rejected any territorial concessions.
Significantly, after the summit Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin said that they made progress in three hours of talks on Friday, moving closer to finding an end to the Ukraine War, but did not announce an immediate ceasefire.
“It’s not a done deal at all”, he told a Fox News interviewer after Friday’s summit in Alaska. “And Ukraine has to agree. President (Volodymyr) Zelensky has to agree.”
“We had a very good meeting today, and I think a lot of points were negotiated on behalf of Ukraine”, he said.
Before the summit, he said that he would not be negotiating on behalf of Ukraine and that the meeting was a sounding board aimed at facilitating a direct meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelensky.
Putin called the meeting “constructive and mutually respectful,” stating that the discussions had laid the groundwork for peace. He urged Ukraine and European leaders to engage in the process and warned against provocations that could jeopardise progress.
Trump echoed the sentiment, calling the talks “extremely productive.”
He noted that multiple points of agreement had been reached, including one “very significant” breakthrough.
Still, he cautioned, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Trump said he would consult with Zelensky and key European allies before moving forward with any formal agreements.
–IANS
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