Trump 'cold-called' Norwegian minister to ask about Nobel Peace Prize; they spoke about tariff
President Donald Trump called Norway's finance minister Jens Stoltenberg last month to discuss trade tariffs, POLITICO reported, citing Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv and called it a "cold call" to ask about his bid to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Several countries, including Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia, have already nominated Trump for brokering peace as Trump claimed he facilitated peace between many countries since his inauguration in January. Trump also hosted Armenia and Azerbaijan as the two countries ended their hostilities.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) in March said he would nominate Trump for the award, and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) nominated him in June, citing his role in brokering a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel.
Trump's August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is another step towards his attempts to broker peace. While critics are questioning why Putin is being welcomed to Alaska, Trump is hopeful to coerce Putin into an agreement to stop the Ukraine war, as he emphasized that he would understand in the first few minutes of the negotiation talk where it's headed.
Trump said a second meeting may follow, where the peace deal could be worked out after the stage is set at the Alaska summit.
'It is true that President Trump called me a few days before his conversation with Prime Minister Støre. Several of the president's staff members also participated in the conversation, including Treasury Secretary Bessent and Trade Representative Greer,' Stoltenberg, the former NATO secretary-general, told POLITICO in a comment.
'We discussed tariffs, economic cooperation, and it served as preparation for his call with Prime Minister Støre.
I will not go into further detail about the content of the conversation,' he added.
The MAGA has been aiming for a Nobel for Trump and if he gets, he would become the 5th US president to receive the prize, following Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Trump's longtime rival Barack Obama.
Trump laid his heart bare on how much he wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize but he believed that they won't give it to him. 'It's too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me," he said.
The award is given annually in December by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to someone who has worked to establish peace between nations.
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First Post
29 minutes ago
- First Post
US-Pakistan ‘counter-terrorism' dialogue: A cover to suppress Baloch movement
The US, apparently the world's most powerful democracy, entirely ignores the fact that it is the Pakistani practices that are fuelling the Baloch insurgency. (Image: X@BalochYakjehtiC) If you want to collapse in shock, read the latest gem from the US-Pakistan dialogue. This one is on counterterrorism and lauds Pakistan's actions in such laudatory terms as to make any intelligence officer of any country feel sick. Regardless of reality, it seems Trump's United States is on a headlong path against India and, worse, against logic. It might be an attempt to wean the country away from China and drag it firmly into the US camp, or it could be just petty point scoring. Whatever the motives, the news is not good. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue Consider the Joint Statement, which says, 'Both delegations underscored the critical importance of developing effective approaches to terrorist threats, including those posed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), ISIS-Khorasan, and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and applauded Pakistan's continued successes in containing terrorist entities that pose a threat to the peace and security of the region and the world'. There's worse. The US 'expressed condolences for the loss of civilians and members of law enforcement agencies in terrorist incidents in Pakistan, including the barbaric Jaffar Express terrorist attack and the bombing of a school bus in Khuzdar'. There is nothing to indicate that the Jaffar bus attack killed innocent civilians, but the BLA did kill security forces and their colleagues in intelligence. True also, that the school bus attack in May 2025 was particularly horrifying. But the BLA is the last group ever to do such an attack on their own. It would set the Baloch against them, and they know it. Pakistan's agencies are not below killing their own or even the Chinese. Remember the attack on the latter at Dasu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last year that killed five Chinese travelling to a power project site? That was blamed on the Pakistanis themselves, to get Beijing to put pressure on Afghanistan on the TTP. And it worked. That's exactly what China did, pressuring Kabul to mend relations with Islamabad on May 21st post Sindoor, in an 'informal' trilateral interaction. Targeting Baloch Now it's the turn of the US. Its intelligence agencies are well aware of the fact that the Baloch have never ever targeted the US, not even when its logistics lines were going through their land to fight the mujahideen or later the Taliban. In fact, the odd reality is that the Majeed Brigade, now officially designated as a terrorist group, have only attacked the Chinese relentlessly for poaching on their land at the behest of the 'Punjabis'. Logic demands that the US should quietly give them a hand against their sworn competitor. But it seems not to be. The farcical nature of the whole joint statement is apparent from the fact that the Pakistani signatory was Nabeel Munir, Special Secretary to the United Nations. Not a single Pakistani counter-terrorism official or anyone from the Interior Ministry. Last year's dialogue also had similar representation but was far less laudatory and more matter-of-fact. It also noted US training of Pakistani personnel on counterterrorism. Most importantly, the 2024 statement made no mention of the BLA, though it was designated as a terrorist group in 2019. This time the focus is almost entirely on it, with the TTP just an add-on. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Accommodation of Pakistan's Balochistan Narrative by the US That is a worrying slide in policy, accommodating Pakistan's frequent complaints of Indian backing of the Baloch resistance. The one and only 'evidence' that Rawalpindi claims is the arrest of former navy officer Kulbushan Jadhav, who was kidnapped from Iran and brought into Pakistan and made to 'confess' to various sins. Compare this to the available data on Pakistanis not in prison for terrorist activities, drug running and the like, but the hundreds of protests and agitations organised every year on 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' or on any pretext whatsoever on Kashmir. There has yet to be a single protest in India on Balochistan. The Indian public is largely ignorant of the serious Baloch crisis which has been brewing since Pakistan's independence, with rebellion after rebellion leading to the kidnapping, torture and deaths of thousands. That includes entirely peaceful protestors like the charismatic Mehrang Baloch, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and now languishing in prison — with no access allowed to her family — and others like Mama Qadeer, leader of the 'Voice of Baloch', nominated for the Nelson Mandela peace award. Others, including their family members, lie incarcerated too. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yet, the US, apparently the world's most powerful democracy, entirely ignores the fact that it is such Pakistani practices that are fuelling the Baloch insurgency. Even if a foreign power is training fighters, it cannot, by any stretch of the imagination or even with the largest purse, create the groundswell of support for the fighters among ordinary people. Also Baloch insurgency has turned a page. It is no longer a platform for the somewhat elite tribal leaders. BLA fighters are heavily part of student organisations and carry those ideals with them that lie with the youth. Shari Baloch, the first female suicide bomber, was an academic with an degree. An additional point the US agencies would obviously know. There is not a shred of obscurantism or extremism about the BLA. US Motivation and Further The question that then arises is US motivation for this unalloyed public support, with the State Department spokesperson reiterating the important role played by the US in ending the conflict while then referring to the US–Pakistan counterterrorism dialogue. But the curious part is that there isn't very much else. No great US financial largesse has come in. The F-16 package of $397 million is a technical package that also prevents these aircraft from being used against India. Neither have there been any weapons commitments — yet. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pakistan gets almost its entire weaponry from China, but it is parity with India that Pakistan craves, now that the Terrorist Resistance Front, a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was designated by the US recently. There is another important aspect. It might also mean that US Central Command is legally free to act against BLA—at least with intelligence—much as it used its drones to kill TTP leaders, on Pakistan's urging. This is dangerous stuff. Meanwhile, the designation benefits China in multiple ways. As a commentator says, it will secure Chinese projects and deal a blow to India. The hope among Pakistanis and Chinese is that Trump will mention—at the very least—that India is a state sponsor of terrorism. It could happen. So far it seems this is a personal grudge held by Trump against India because Delhi refuses to recognise a US role in ending the recent conflict or accept mediation. The latter is non-negotiable, and the State Department bureaucracy probably understands that. The former is a different thing altogether. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Delhi could acknowledge that Islamabad—as expected—went running to the US the moment it faced serious damage to its installations. That has been true for almost every single conflict between the two. India should also have anticipated the Trump offer of mediation, given that he offered this to an exuberant Imran Khan in 2019. Pakistan took advantage of that. India got the 'bad guy' image again, as Rawalpindi knew it would. Time to change corners, as it's going to be the Baloch who will suffer. Acknowledge the historical truth of the Pakistan army using the US for its own mischievous ends. On no account must Islamabad be rewarded with 'mediation', simply because there is nothing to mediate. Especially since it has yet to detain or even mildly shake its finger at the many terrorists within its soil. Meanwhile, it's time to name and shame. Get each terrorist into the limelight through media and diplomacy. Ramp up the terrorist dialogue. As the late strategic affairs analyst K Subramanyam used to say, even if one person listens, that's good enough. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The author is Director (R&A) at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. She tweets @kartha_tara. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
India.com
29 minutes ago
- India.com
Trump-Zelenskyy To Meet On Monday, Ukrainian Presidents FIRST Reaction After Alaska Summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday stated that he had a long conversation with US President Donald Trump and he informed that Ukraine reaffirmed its readiness to achieve peace. This came hours after the Alaska summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump concluded. Zelenskyy also said that Trump informed him about his meeting with Putin and their discussion. He also showed support for Amercian President's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia, and the US. "We had a long and substantive conversation with @POTUS. We started with one-on-one talks before inviting European leaders to join us. This call lasted for more than an hour and a half, including about an hour of our bilateral conversation with President Trump," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace. President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion. It is important that America's strength has an impact on the development of the situation," the post added. "We support President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. Ukraine emphasizes that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this," it continued. "On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation," the Ukrainian President said. We had a long and substantive conversation with @POTUS. We started with one-on-one talks before inviting European leaders to join us. This call lasted for more than an hour and a half, including about an hour of our bilateral conversation with President Trump. Ukraine reaffirms… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 16, 2025 Also Read: B-2 Bomber Roars Over Putin's Head During Alaska Summit With Trump | Watch Meanwhile, as per the news agency IASN the White House also confirmed that President Trump spoke to President Zelensky following his summit with President Putin in Alaska. On the other hand, Trump was also reportedly in contact with NATO leaders on Saturday. Trump-Putin Alaska Meet The high stakes meeting between Trump and Putin was held in Anchorage, Alaska. While the talks were described as "making progress", no concrete deal was reached. According to IANS, the meeting, held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, marked the first visit of a Russian head of state to the US in nearly a decade and the first face-to-face dialogue between American and Russian leaders since 2021. Also Read: Alaska Meet: Russia-Ukraine Conflict Discussed Without Zelenskyy | Highlights Putin reiterated Moscow's position and stated that Russia is 'sincerely interested in putting an end' to the conflict. However, he insisted that for a resolution to be reached, 'all the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated.' Earlier, on August 15, Zelensky had voiced hope that the Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin could open the door to three-way talks.
Deccan Herald
29 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Zelenskyy to travel to Washington on Monday for talks with Trump
We had a long and substantive conversation with @POTUS. We started with one-on-one talks before inviting European leaders to join us. This call lasted for more than an hour and a half, including about an hour of our bilateral conversation with President Trump. Ukraine reaffirms…
