US President Donald Trump expresses doubts about Nobel Peace Prize chances, but stands by India-Pakistan peace claim, here’s what we know
Donald Trump appeared unsure whether he would win the Nobel Peace Prize but highlighted his achievements in brokering peace agreements. Read here to find out exactly what he said.
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday reiterated his claim that he stopped the military conflict between India and Pakistan in May this year. This claim has been consistently denied by India. The statement was made in response to questions about the possibility of winning the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
At a press conference at the White House on Thursday alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Trump downplayed his chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. But he reiterated his claim to have brokered seven peace agreements around the world; The eighth is expected to be due to the ceasefire in Gaza.
Donald Trump was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
When asked about his chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, which he had previously expressed interest in receiving, Trump claimed that he “didn’t know” what would happen, but that he had “solved” seven wars and “now it’s eight.” Discussing some of the “major” peace agreements he has facilitated, the US President mentioned the military conflict between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed countries. He claimed to have stopped the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan using “trade” and “tariffs”.
“I think India and Pakistan (conflict) are two very big, nuclear countries. I did it on a trade basis and because of tariffs. If we didn’t have tariffs, you couldn’t do it. But I said if you were going to fight, I would put a 100% tariff on each of you. And they immediately stopped fighting. And it was going to go nuclear. There’s back and forth,” he told reporters at the White House.
Although the US President has refrained from confidently predicting that he will win the Nobel Peace Prize, he has made sure to highlight the peace agreements he has brokered during his second term, which began in January this year.
Trump on Ukraine-Russia war
Turning to the war in Ukraine, Trump linked the conflict to his broader claim to be a peacemaker. “I said, ‘What about the other seven? I should get a Nobel Prize for each of them.’ They said, ‘But if you stop Russia and Ukraine, sir, you should be able to get the Nobel.’ I said I stopped seven wars. This is one war, and it’s a big war.”
Trump initially said he believed the conflict would be easier to resolve because of his ties to Moscow. “Because I have a good relationship with President Putin, I let him down, but I’m disappointed. I thought it would be the easiest thing, but one way or another we’ll get it done,” he said.
He suggested that energy prices were directly linked to the end of the war. “… This (oil drilling) will automatically stop the war with Russia and Ukraine; if you lower prices any further, you have to stop it. I’m very disappointed in President Putin. Between 5,000 and 7,000 people are dying every week…”
The US President also said that he made the peace agreements not to win the prize, but to “save lives”.
