Donald Trump’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize has been officially withdrawn by the Ukrainian lawmaker who initially backed him. Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said he no longer believes Trump can help bring peace between Ukraine and Russia.
Merezhko had nominated Trump for the prestigious award in November last year. He later changed his mind after seeing no progress toward ending the war. He announced the withdrawal on Monday, June 23.
According to a report by Newsweek, Merezhko expressed regret, stating he had “lost all faith and belief” in Trump’s ability to bring about a ceasefire. He criticized Trump for showing little response to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine and for avoiding tough actions like imposing sanctions on Moscow.
In January, Trump promised to stop the war within 24 hours if re-elected. However, peace efforts have stalled. Ukraine agreed to a U.S.-led peace proposal in March, but Russia has yet to respond.
Trump also mentioned in May that he would need two weeks to judge Russia’s sincerity in peace talks. That deadline has since passed without any progress. Merezhko added that Trump’s silence following recent airstrikes on Kyiv shows he has chosen “appeasement over action.”
