‘He wanted the Nobel': Trump cold-calls Norwegian minister about peace prize
Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, a former NATO secretary-general, has confirmed the call and said the two men talked about tariffs, but he would not comment on whether Trump also said he wanted to win the prize.
The account of the phone call, first reported by Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, has set off new speculation about Trump's efforts to win the prestigious award after several national leaders said he should gain the recognition.
'Out of the blue, while Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg was walking down the street in Oslo, Donald Trump called,' the newspaper reported.
'He wanted the Nobel Prize – and to discuss tariffs.'
Loading
The prize, to be announced on October 10, is one of the world's most prestigious honours. It is decided in Oslo by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, an independent group of five members who are chosen by the Norwegian Parliament.
Trump has stepped up his claims to the prize in the lead-up to his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday (Saturday AEST) to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine, amid concerns among European leaders about whether he can secure a good outcome.
In a sign that he has heard those concerns, Trump reportedly told the European leaders in an online meeting on Wednesday that he would not make any concessions on territory without Ukraine being part of the decision.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
36 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
Trump, Putin poised for high-stakes meeting in Alaska
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will measure success at their summit in Alaska very differently, even as both leaders are already looking toward a second meeting. The US president sees any kind of ceasefire in Ukraine as a key objective of the talks. For the Russian leader, getting face time with Trump on American soil without having made any concessions on the war is already a win. Those are the contrasting stakes as both leaders head to Anchorage for their first summit since 2018 in Helsinki. The imbalance points to the perils and opportunities for Trump, who has long cast himself as the only one who can end the war. Putin has little incentive to stop the fighting as Russia's military slowly grinds out gains in Ukraine, but can ill afford to alienate a president with whom he's long cultivated a relationship. En route to Anchorage on Friday morning (early Saturday AEST), Trump didn't rule out that Ukraine might get some form of security guarantees from western nations, or that it might have to agree to swap land with Russia. But he said it wasn't his place to decide. 'I've got to let Ukraine make that decision,' Trump said of the idea of the two countries trading land. 'And I think they'll make a proper decision. But I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I'm here to get them at the table.'
ABC News
36 minutes ago
- ABC News
Stage set for Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meeting in Alaska as Air Force One approaches Anchorage
Donald Trump is due to arrive in Anchorage, Alaska ahead of a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible path to peace in Ukraine. The two leaders are expected to sit down with their delegations and translators for their first face-to-face interaction since 2019. Mr Trump has said there will be severe consequences for Russia if Mr Putin does not agree to end his war in Ukraine, but in recent days the Kremlin has signalled a broader agenda, including one that covers Russia-US economic ties. Follow live.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin head to Alaska for 'high stakes' meeting
Just in case anyone needed reminding, Donald Trump spelled it out in a social media post that simply read: "High stakes!!!" The US president is on Friday, local time, meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska. His post, which appeared on his Truth social platform in the hours before he boarded Air Force One in Washington DC en route to the summit, summed up what everyone was thinking. Then, while on board, he spoke to reporters and said he wanted to see a ceasefire "today". The talks are the first in-person between the leaders of the respective countries since 2021, when former president Joe Biden met Mr Putin in Geneva. Eight months later, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It's not entirely clear what will come of the meeting, which was organised in less than two weeks. The White House has described them as "a listening exercise", while Mr Trump on Thursday said they had a "25 per cent" chance of failing. Multiple European leaders, after an all-in phone call during the week with the US president, claimed he would try and organise a ceasefire in Alaska. Mr Putin, for his part, earlier in the week praised Mr Trump's "energetic" efforts to stop the war in Ukraine. But there are signs it may be difficult. Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who will also take part in the talks, turned up in Anchorage this week wearing a USSR sweatshirt. His clothing choice, when considered in the context of Russia's ongoing invasion of the former Soviet state Ukraine, has been interpreted by some as inflammatory. Mr Trump, who's been critical, and glowing of Mr Putin this year, described the Russian leader as "a smart guy" on Friday. "He's been doing it for a long time but so have I ... We get along, there's a good respect level on both sides." Mr Putin, 72, has towered over Russia's politics since the late 90s, and runs what has been described as a "power vertical" in the country, which means everyone, ultimately, answers to him. The Kremlin delegation also incudes Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and the head of the country's sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev, among several other business leaders. Ahead of the summit, there's been reports of potential cooperation between the US and Russia on multiple resources deals. "But they're not doing business until we get the war settled," Mr Trump said on Friday. On Friday, hundreds of pro-Ukrainian protesters gathered in Anchorage, ahead of Mr Putin's arrival, which was due at 11am local time (5am Saturday, AEST). Among their chanting, were demands that Russia return the estimated 20,000 children that it has taken from the war zone since its invasion. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who wasn't invited to Alaska, will monitor developments from France, with his counterpart there Emmanuel Macron. On Friday morning, Mr Zelenskyy posted on the encrypted messaging service, Telegram: "It's time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America." That could prove tricky. Russia and Ukraine's stated list of demands to secure a ceasefire are still vastly different. For instance, Ukraine has demanded it be able to join the NATO alliance — something Mr Putin has said is a deal-breaker. Mr Trump has also suggested the two countries could engage in "land swaps", but both have ruled that out so far too.
