A Ukrainian lawmaker who pushed for President Donald Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize has withdrawn his nomination after Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks stalled.
It’s been more than three years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump had promised to end the war within 24 hours of taking office, but it’s been five months, and the two eastern European countries have not agreed to a peace deal.
Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign committee, nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last November, but told Newsweek Tuesday that he withdrew his nomination.
Merezhko had "lost any sort of faith and belief" in Trump and his ability to get a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.
While the warring countries agreed in principle to a limited ceasefire in March, no peace deal has been formally reached. Putin had rejected a 30-day ceasefire, which Trump had been advocating for, and Ukraine had agreed to.
In June, Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Russia and said it used over 100 smuggled drones to hit 41 military aircraft. Ukraine also blew up a section of the Kerch Bridge that connects Russia with the annexed Crimean Peninsula days later.
Last week, Russia launched an overnight attack on Kyiv, killing 28 people and injuring over 100 more, The Associated Press reported, citing local officials.
The Wall Street Journal reported in May, citing people familiar with the matter, that Trump was considering additional sanctions against Russia as he grew frustrated with Putin.
At the time, Trump had posted to Truth Social: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”
Merezhko said Trump "is evading—he is dodging—the need to impose sanctions on Russia” and that he “has chosen the path of appeasement.”
Last week, Trump complained he can’t win a Nobel Peace Prize as he works to broker peace around the world. The president took to Truth Social on Friday to celebrate a peace deal he claimed his administration brokered between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
“This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World! I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for this, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan…No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that’s all that matters to me!”
Pakistan announced its recommendation for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday after he helped broker its truce with India following the fatal shooting of at least 26 tourists in Kashmir. Both South Asian countries have made claims to the territory in its entirety.
Fewer than 24 hours after Pakistan praised Trump for the truce, it condemned him for the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. The attack was the culmination of the Israel-Iran conflict that began on June 13.
On Monday, Trump said Israel and Iran “fully agreed” to “a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE.” But it immediately broke down, with both sides accusing each other of violating the deal.
Trump told reporters in Washington D.C., Tuesday morning, neither side “knows what the f*** they’re doing.”
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