DONALD Trump may have this week unleashed a worldwide trade war – but there is another conflict he is hellbent on ending.
Thrashing out a peace deal to finally end the three-year war in Ukraine has been at the forefront of his mind for months.
EPAJohn Bolton was Donald Trump’s security adviser[/caption]
The Mega AgencyTrump lambasted Zelensky for not being grateful enough for US help[/caption]
ReutersUkrainian gunner fires a howitzer towards Russian troops on the Donetsk frontline[/caption]
Trump even went as far as to boast he would sweep in and action a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv within 24 hours of his presidency.
But more than two months into his second stint in the White House, chances of Putin signing a peace deal appear elusive as Russia continues to blitz Ukraine.
Trump’s ambition to end the war is not only to restore peace in the region and take the strain off the US, however.
His former security adviser John Bolton says much of the reason is because he is determined to get his hands on a Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump has longed for the validation of the accolade for years that has so far eluded him, despite nominations.
His chances of scooping the prize now likely hinges on whether he can get push Ukraine and Russia to strike a lasting deal.
Ex-White House adviser Bolton, who worked with Trump during his first term, told The Sun: “I think Trump is motivated here in substantial part because he wants a Nobel Peace Prize.
“He’s always disliked the fact that Barack Obama got one, and with good reason because Obama didn’t deserve it.
“But Trump figures well, if Obama got one, why shouldn’t I get one?
“So he wants to use making peace in Ukraine the sort of basis for his getting the prize.”
But peace hopes between Kyiv and Moscow are crumbling – jeopardising Trump’s dream of bagging the prize.
Russia has continued to blitz Ukraine – and last week a devastating strike on central city Kryvyi Rih killed at least 19 people, including nine children.
Kyiv was quick to agree to a US-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, which Moscow has so far refused.
Putin’s demands of Kyiv giving up land and ditching its Nato ambitions are also stalling negotiations – and Trump’s peace prize dreams.
Four US presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – most recently Obama in 2009 for his push to curb nuclear weapons and improve relations with the Muslim world.
Trump criticised Obama’s win in 2019, insisting he instead should get the prize “for a lot of things, if they gave it out fairly – which they don’t”.
“They gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency, and he had no idea why he got it…that was the only thing I agreed with him on,” he added.
Trump was twice nominated during his first term by Norweigan lawmaker Christian Tybring-Gjedde and Swedish politician Magnus Jacobsson.
AFPTrump boasted he would sweep into power and action a ceasefire with Putin within 24 hours of his presidency[/caption]
But their efforts fell short and failed to get the Republican businessman the award he so desperately wants.
At an Oval Office meeting with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu in February, 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.”
Trump’s inner circle continue to make the case for their boss.
In February, national security adviser Mike Waltz – unprompted – told the Conservative Political Action Conference.
“He is going to end the war in Europe. He is going to end the wars in the Middle East.
“And you know what, by the end of this, we’re going to have the Nobel Peace Prize sitting next to the name of Donald J. Trump.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meanwhile, the very same week, told Fox News how Trump the award for his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“If it were fairly awarded, I think in a year, he should get it from what I’ve seen,” Bessent said.
Nominations for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize closed in January and the committee is now preparing its shortlist.
Trump has been nominated once again, both by Israeli-born professor Anat Alon-Beck and Ukrainian politician Oleksandr Merezhko.
The winner will be announced in October. But there’s no doubt that if Trump’s name isn’t read out we can expect his nomination come January 2026.
GettyTrump arrives to speak at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner on April 8[/caption]
ReutersJohn Bolton believes the real reason Trump wants a peace deal is to secure a Nobel Peace Prize[/caption]
ReutersTrump criticised Obama’s win in 2019, insisting he instead should get the prize ‘for a lot of things, if they gave it out fairly – which they don’t’[/caption]
Is China sending troops into Putin’s meatgrinder?
SHOCKING evidence has revealed that China could be sending troops into Putin’s meatgrinder.
Zelensky claimed that Kyiv found six Chinese nationals fighting in the Donetsk region of Ukraine and took two of them prisoners – but this is just the “tip of the iceberg”.
Military analyst Michael Clarke said the reported arrest of two Chinese soldiers could be “very serious indeed” as it could mean that, contrary to its official claims, China is backing Russia militarily.
Clarke said that if Chinese soldiers are operating on state orders it would cross “quite a big legal line”.
He said: “That would mean that the Chinese are sending individuals to fight in a contested area to join an invasion of a foreign country.”
The military expert added: “The Chinese would pretend that that isn’t the truth. And the Russians would say that Donetsk is Russian territory, but legally, of course, it isn’t.
“It’s Ukrainian territory, and it has been since 1991.”
Fears that China is sending troops to fight for Putin have been fuelled by videos circulating on social media.
In the unverified clip, allegedly shot in Selydove near Pokrovsk, East Asian troops graffiti the inside walls of a damaged house with what looks like Chinese characters.
The soldiers have equipment and clothing consistent with what regular Russian troops have been seen wearing in recent months.
A patch on one soldier’s right shoulder reads BARS, the acronym for Russia’s army reserve.
If these Chinese troops are found to be serving members of the Chinese national army, it could result in a major war escalation.
Soldiers from various countries have so far taken part in the Russia-Ukraine war – and it does not mean an official intervention by their home countries.
Thousands of troops from North Korea joined the war to support Russia against Ukraine.