Russia backs Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize bid as Oslo prepares to announce winner

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in remarks published on Thursday that Kyiv would nominate Trump for the Nobel if he manages to bring about a ceasefire in the conflict with Russia.

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced at 0900 GMT in Oslo, but experienced watchers of the award say it is highly unlikely that Trump will win.

The annual awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize has taken on an unusual political charge this year amid a vocal campaign by Trump and his supporters.

On Thursday, hours before the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office posted on X an edited image showing Netanyahu placing an oversized Nobel medal around Trump’s neck, writing: “Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it!”

The Republican Jewish Coalition, a prominent US political group, also urged that not only should Trump receive the Nobel Prize, but that it should be renamed in his honour.

Trump, who has long sought the recognition, has spent months touting his qualifications for the award.

Speaking at the United Nations last month, he said, “Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Experts say such overt lobbying is almost unheard of in the Nobel’s 123-year history.

“A public candidature and campaigning like the one we’ve seen this year is highly unusual,” said Nina Græger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo. “The Peace Prize honours sustainable and lasting peace. In view of that, I do not think it is likely that Trump receives it for this year.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee traditionally favours quiet, long-term diplomacy and humanitarian work over headline-grabbing deals.

Analysts say Trump’s confrontational foreign policy style, his scepticism toward multilateral institutions and his record on climate change could count against him.

“The committee looks for long-term, structural contributions to peace, not quick fixes or personal deals,” said Theo Zenou, a historian and research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. “There’s a huge difference between getting fighting to stop in the short term and resolving the root causes of conflict.”