Trump craves recognition as the peacemaker president. Will diplomatic wins in South Asia and Ukraine spur him on?
President Donald Trump, hailing a successful U.S.-mediated ceasefire between India and Pakistan on Saturday, brought flashbacks to his inauguration day address and desire to be seen as a 'peacemaker.'
Standing under the dome of the Capitol Building, the bombastic, newly sworn-in 47th President of the United States, previously its 45th commander-in-chief, delivered a dark and partisan address before the throng of lawmakers and dignitaries.
Amid declarations on immigration, taxes, governmental upheaval, being saved by god, and the dawn of a golden age for America, Trump also revisited some of his familiar grievances about how unfairly he has been treated.
There was a nod to one particular complaint, sandwiched between promises to build the strongest military the world has ever seen and a desire for an expansionist America, Trump said: 'We will measure our success, not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.'
He continued: 'My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier.'
On the surface, an admirable mission statement, but underneath lies a personal motive and related gripe. President Trump has made no secret that one thing he really desires is a Nobel Peace Prize.
He has complained about not getting one for almost a decade and is particularly galled by the fact that President Barack Obama was awarded one after just nine months in office for working toward 'the great climatic challenges.'
On the campaign trail last year, Trump said: 'If I were named Obama, I would have had the Nobel Prize given to me in 10 seconds.'
Former Trump national security adviser, turned vocal opponent, John Bolton, told The New York Times: 'The center of his public life is the greater glory of Donald Trump, and the Nobel Peace Prize would be a nice thing to hang on the wall.'
Bolton added: '[Trump] felt if Obama got it for not doing anything, why should he not get it?'
In one of his many public airing of grievances, in February, during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said: 'They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. It's too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.'
Indeed, the president has been nominated for the award by Republican allies. In early 2024, New York Rep. Claudia Tenney put Trump forward for the honor for his role in the Abraham Accords treaty that normalized relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
'Donald Trump was instrumental in facilitating the first new peace agreements in the Middle East in almost 30 years,' she claimed in a statement posted on her website.
And yet, nothing came of the nomination — it was instead awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors dedicated to advocating for nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.
Trump returned to the White House this year at an especially fraught time in international relations. Russia's war on Ukraine is now in its third year, and Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza has continued for more than 18 months. The president made grandiose promises to end the former in 24 hours and 'quickly restore stability' in the latter case.
Both conflicts grind on, with a fragile two-month ceasefire in Gaza coming to a catastrophic end in March.
Adding further to the tense global situation, India and Pakistan entered the most serious military escalation between the two nuclear powers in years following a deadly terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April.
However, in this case, there was quick progress. As cross-border missile and drone attacks escalated, the U.S. engaged with officials on both sides to lower tensions.
Shortly before 8 a.m. East Coast time on Saturday, May 10, the president took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to triumphantly announce: 'After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, who recently visited India, reportedly did the heavy lifting, with Rubio tweeting a few minutes later: 'Over the past 48 hours, [Vice President] Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik.'
'I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site,' he continued.
'We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.'
Vance added: 'Great work from the President's team, especially Secretary Rubio. And my gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire.'
Saudi Arabia and Turkey both played an important role in securing the deal, according to Pakistan's foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, and the chiefs of military operations on both sides have spoken, according to Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri. However, it is Trump himself who announced the ceasefire and claimed credit for the U.S. in de-escalating the situation, although there are reports on Saturday that the ceasefire has already been violated.
At the same time this was happening on Saturday, there was also progress in Europe, with Ukraine and European leaders agreeing to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire on May 12 with the backing of Trump, threatening Russian President Vladimir Putin with new 'massive' sanctions if he failed to comply.
This comes after accusations of Trump appeasing Putin and an apparent realization by the president that, as most of the world already knew, he was being strung along by the Russian leader, despite his continued insistence that neither side in the conflict was playing him.
Following his last meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican, the president wrote of Putin on Truth Social: 'It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war.'
'He's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?'' he wrote. 'Too many people are dying!!!'
Today's announcement of a unified approach was made by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine at a meeting in Kyiv, after which they held a phone call with Trump.
'So all of us here, together with the U.S., are calling Putin out. If he is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it,' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters at a news conference. 'No more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays.'
Zelensky said in part on X: 'By uniting others, we are working to bring real peace closer, ensuring long-term security not only with the five of us here but also with our friends, partners, and leaders from 30 other EU and NATO countries participating online.'
Trump, who still says he wants a rapid path toward peace, has not yet said anything publicly himself on the course of action, either on social media or via the White House, perhaps not keen to try and claim any credit until Russia comes to the table.
Instead, U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg commented on a post on X by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha: 'A comprehensive (air, land, sea, infrastructure) cease fire for 30 days will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II.'
He added: 'As the President has repeatedly said, stop the killing now.'
Being the weekend, shortly after his post on the ceasefire in South Asia, Trump left the White House for a round of golf at his club in Virginia, perhaps feeling a step closer to his much-desired personal goal of becoming a Nobel laureate — or, perhaps, adding to his complaint for if he does not receive the honor.
Any consideration for international recognition of Trump's diplomatic record needs to be weighed against his failure to stop the fighting in Gaza — and his disturbing vision of its future — as well as threats to take back the Panama Canal and annex Greenland with possible military force.
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