Putin backs Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize – but with a catch | World | News

Vladimir Putin has backed Donald Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize – but only if he does not supply deadly long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. The US president is currently considering such a deployment as a means of forcing Putin to the negotiating table in a bid to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Russian leader’s trusted chief foreign affairs aide, Yury Ushakov, was asked if Moscow backed the Nobel Peace Prize for Trump after his success in halting the war in Gaza. “I think, at this point, it would – if we were asked,” said the Kremlin official. “Of course, what’s surprising – I’d even say foolish – is [Volodymyr] Zelensky’s remark that Ukraine could lobby in favour of awarding Trump the Nobel Prize. If Trump sells Tomahawks… that would mean a Peace Prize for providing weapons. The very idea is monstrous.

“If people think in such categories, it says a lot about what sort of people they are,” he added.

Putin’s aide waded in after Mr Trump said he was increasing pressure on Russia to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine. He saw hope of talks, telling reporters: “I think they’ll be coming to the table pretty soon.”

However, the US president is considering supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks – a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile costing up to £3 million each – currently used by the US, Britain and Australia. They have a range of around 1,500 miles and could reach deep into Russia.

This follows Putin continuing the war despite Mr Trump’s calls to end it. Last month, the Russian leader said he had reached “understandings” with Mr Trump on ending the war in Ukraine during their meeting in Alaska in August. However, he did not confirm whether he would take part in peace talks with Mr Zelensky, which Mr Trump had reportedly offered to broker.

Today, Russia has staged huge attack on Ukraine‘s energy infrastructure – triggering mass power outages and hitting civilians as the cold winter approaches. A seven-year-old boy was also killed in the strikes.

The Russian dictator has already said that a Tomahawk supply chain to Ukraine would destroy his relations with Mr Trump.

“This will lead to the destruction of our relations, at least the positive trends that had begun in these relations,” he said. “So I say what I think.

“And how things will turn out depends not only on us and not only on me.”