In a surprising turn, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared on August 15, 2025, that she would nominate President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize if he successfully ends Russia’s war in Ukraine without ceding territory to Vladimir Putin. Speaking on the “Raging Moderates” podcast, Clinton, Trump’s 2016 rival, emphasized that a peace deal must avoid validating Putin’s aggression. “If he could end it without putting Ukraine in a position where it had to concede its territory to the aggressor, I’d nominate him,” she stated, urging Trump to stand firm against Putin.
The remarks come as Trump met Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, marking their first face-to-face summit in his second term. Trump, who has long coveted the Nobel Prize—awarded to Barack Obama in 2009—has made ending the Ukraine conflict a key promise. Clinton cautioned that Putin is an adversary, not a friend, and stressed that any deal must include a ceasefire and Russian withdrawal from seized territories to protect European security.
While some praise Clinton’s bipartisan gesture, others see it as a strategic move to pressure Trump against concessions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, absent from the talks, insists on full Russian withdrawal. Critics note Trump’s past praise of Putin could complicate negotiations. As the summit yields no immediate deal, the prospect of peace remains uncertain, with Trump hinting at further talks. Clinton’s statement has sparked debate over whether Trump can achieve a diplomatic breakthrough.
