Antifake
Kremlin officials and Russian state media have seized on a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that, according to Moscow, suggests that Zelensky was prepared to nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in exchange for the U.S. supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. TASS reported:
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov called Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks about Tomahawk missiles and a Nobel Peace Prize for U.S. President Donald Trump, in connection with the possible transfer of missiles to Kyiv, a “monstrous idea.” He said this in comments to the Telegram channel Yunashev Live.
According to Ushakov, “It’s astonishing…the stupidity of Zelensky, who supposedly said he could lobby for a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump” if he hands over Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv.
“A peace prize for providing weapons — even the thought is monstrous. If people think in such categories, it shows exactly what they are,” the Kremlin aide said.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, went even further. In comments to Komsomolskaya Pravda journalist Aleksandr Gamov, she claimed:
On Thursday, October 9, it was reported that “Ukraine is ready to nominate U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize if he manages to achieve a ceasefire,” Zakharova said. “This was announced by the head of the Kyiv regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, who said that Trump’s success in resolving the conflict would justify such a nomination.”
Gamov then asked her: “Maria Vladimirovna, does the expired ex-comedian have delusions of grandeur, or is this already a symptom of madness?”
“To keep demanding more weapons while expecting help in achieving a ceasefire can only come from a clouded mind,” Zakharova replied. “Zelensky is trying to cheat Trump, assuming that since it worked with Biden, it will work here too. But Trump is not Biden.”
Even independent Russian outlets in exile, such as Ekho (formerly Ekho Moskvy), repeated the story.
The statement does indeed sound somewhat extravagant — nominating someone for a peace prize in exchange for weapons deliveries is a strange proposal. But in reality, Zelensky never said anything of the sort. The confusion appears to have stemmed from a sensational headline run by Politico:
“Zelensky: If Trump gives us Tomahawks, we’ll lobby for Nobel Peace Prize”
Apparently, the American outlet somehow merged two separate references to Trump that Zelensky made during his meeting with journalists. Deutsche Welle described the Ukrainian president’s remarks differently:
“President Volodymyr Zelensky did not rule out that Ukraine could nominate U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. For that to happen, he must help achieve a ceasefire,” Ukrainian media reported on Thursday, October 9.
“If Trump can make such a ceasefire possible — for the world and, above all, for Ukrainians — yes, he should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. We will nominate him on behalf of Ukraine,” Radio Svoboda quoted Zelensky as saying.
Earlier, members of parliament Anna Skorokhod and Mykola Tyshchenko called on the Verkhovna Rada to support an appeal to the Nobel Committee to nominate Trump. Lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko from the Servant of the People party also put Trump’s name forward but withdrew his nomination in June, citing a loss of confidence in Trump’s peace efforts.
Zelensky also said during the same meeting that Trump had neither refused nor agreed to provide Tomahawk cruise missiles, instead promising to study the request “at a technical level,” according to Levy Bereg. The president noted that he had made a similar request to the previous administration under Joe Biden but was turned down.
“It’s an important signal now — strengthening Ukraine by all possible means. Tomahawks are one such capability that matters to me,” Zelensky said. “These kinds of things can strengthen Ukraine and help sober up the Russians a bit — make them more willing to sit down at the negotiating table.”
Zelensky added that achieving a ceasefire would open the door to peace talks. “The plan to end the war won’t be simple, but it’s definitely the path forward,” he said.
In other words, Zelensky spoke about nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize if he helps achieve a ceasefire, not as a reward for supplying weapons. Awarding a peace prize for successful peacemaking efforts, he said, is nothing unusual. Later on in the same conversation with reporters, Zelensky spoke about long-range missile supplies, noting that Kyiv’s possession of such weapons could make Russia more willing to negotiate.