US President Donald Trump has downplayed suggestions he wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize after weeks of speculation.
“I have nothing to say about it,” Trump told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. “All I can do is put out wars.” The president added: “I don’t seek attention. I just want to save lives.”
The comments appear to be at odds with previous statements on the matter, when he has said he should be given the prestigious accolade for his part in ending several conflicts.
In the same telephone interview, Trump told the outlet that he was committed to helping to secure a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. He said: “Something is going to happen. We are going to get it done.”
Trump is expected to speak by phone to pro-Ukraine European leaders who are meeting in Paris on Thursday. His special envoy Steve Witkoff is attending in person.
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is due to be announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on 10 October. Four previous US presidents have been awarded the honour, including Trump’s political adversary Barack Obama.
In February, Trump lamented: “They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. I deserve it, but they will never give it.”
His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, reinforced the message in July, arguing that it was “well past time” that Trump won the prize.
Other members of his top team have added to the crescendo. At a cabinet meeting last week, his envoy Steve Witkoff called him the “single finest” Nobel candidate in history due to his “game-changing” work.
The five Nobel panel members are appointed by the Norwegian parliament. Trump has reportedly discussed his prizewinning hopes with Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg – though Stoltenberg has not confirmed this.
The US president has been nominated by several countries, including Israel and Pakistan. Trump took credit for cooling tensions between Pakistan and neighbouring India earlier this year.
That was one of six or seven wars that Trump has previously said he has “ended”.
The claim has drawn scrutiny from analysts who say some of these conflicts lasted just days – though they were the result of long-standing tensions. It is unclear whether some of the peace deals will last.
BBC Verify has explored Trump’s role in cooling down seven conflicts – including a conflict between Israel and Iran, and others.