President Donald Trump on Friday said it was "very nice" of his longtime political rival, Hillary Clinton, to consider nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize if he helps end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Clinton suggested she would enter his name for the prestigious award herself if he successfully ends Russia’s invasion of Ukraine without Kyiv being forced to give up territory.
"Look, if we could pull that off, if President Trump were the architect of that, I'd nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, because my goal here is not to allow capitulation to Putin, aided and abetted by the United States," Clinton told podcast host Jessica Tarlov. "I think that's a terrible, terrible precedent. I think it would make our country less safe. I think it would reward Putin's aggression, and he would not stop."
The former Secretary of State also described Putin as "the aggressor" in the conflict after he invaded a neighboring country, and that Kyiv should not have to concede to the aggressor and be forced to give up land.
Trump, who has already been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times, has suggested he would never be given the prestigious reward "no matter" what he does.
But his 2016 presidential election opponent suggested Trump would deserve the international recognition if he succeeds in ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
"I'm dreaming that for whatever combination of reasons, including the elusive Nobel Peace Prize, President Trump may actually stand up to Putin on behalf of not just Ukraine and its democracy and its very brave people, but frankly, on behalf of our own security and interests," Clinton added.
Trump described his talks with Putin on Friday as "very productive" and said they made "great progress" but noted they're "not quite there" yet during a joint press conference with the Russian president.
"There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump emphasized, saying he would soon call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and appropriate NATO allies about the latest talks. Zelenskyy was not invited to Friday’s summit.
Prior to Friday's summit, Trump suggested that a second meeting involving Zelenskyy could be necessary to achieve peace.
Putin said the situation in Ukraine has to do with fundamental threats to Russia's security, and in order to reach a permanent deal, they need to eliminate "all the primary roots" of the conflict. He agreed with Trump that the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well and that Russia is prepared to work on that.
But Putin "isn't someone to make a deal with and expect it to last," Clinton said during the podcast.
"He is not meeting with a friend," Clinton said. "He is meeting with an adversary, an adversary who hopes to play him."
Clinton served as President Barack Obama's Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. She also ran for president twice, losing in 2008 and notably in 2016 to Trump.