(NewsNation) — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested she would nominate President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize if he successfully negotiates a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Clinton made the statement on the podcast “Raging Moderates,” where she added stipulations to her statement and noted that Trump is very interested in getting a Nobel Prize.
She detailed a vision of a plan that would not require Ukraine to cede any territory to Russia for a ceasefire, and for Russia to withdraw from territory it has already seized over time.
Trump has previously said an exchange of territory will be part of a peace agreement, something that has been a sticking point for Ukraine in the past.
As he heads to Alaska to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has been unclear about his exact vision for a deal and expressed doubts that the meeting will be successful.
He has said his intention is to take any offers from the meeting to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Trump campaigned heavily on ending the war in Ukraine, promising to stop the fighting on Day 1 and at times even suggesting the war would end before he took office.
Although a Ukraine ceasefire remains elusive, Trump has lobbied heavily for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on ending other conflicts, though in some cases, foreign leaders have disagreed on how much of a role he played in negotiations.
Trump has also repeatedly stated that former President Barack Obama didn’t do anything to deserve the Peace Prize he received.
Peace deal still ‘a ways away’
According to Evelyn Farkas, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia and Ukraine under former President Barack Obama, a ceasefire accord is not yet imminent despite talks between the two leaders on Friday.
“Putin doesn’t want a ceasefire; he definitely is not ready for peace, he wants to keep fighting,” Farkas told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” following a joint press conference by Trump and Putin.
“Maybe they did make some progress, but we’re still a ways away from a deal. And I don’t think our president should be meeting with President Putin until there’s a deal,” she added.
Farkas also believes Trump should not meet Putin again without an accord, and that, should a deal be struck, it should physically involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Follow NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer as she reports live from the summit in Alaska and Robert Sherman as he reports from the front lines in Ukraine.