Putin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Russian President Vladimir Putin was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Kremlin confirmed on Thursday.

The nomination from a group of Russian public figures was spearheaded by writer Sergey Komkov, according to Russian news agency TASS

The nomination was reportedly sent to the five-person committee in Norway earlier this year. However, the reason for the nomination has not yet been reported.

The Hill has reached out to The Nobel Foundation for comment. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin’s administration was not behind the nomination.

“You all know that completely different people are nominated for this award. This is an initiative of those submitting the nomination. In this case, [the nomination was submitted by] the aforementioned writer,” Peskov said, referring to Komkov.

“If this decision is made [to award the prize] —  great, if not, it’s no problem as well,” Peskov added.

News of the nomination comes shortly after one of Putin’s top critics, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was released from a German hospital following an alleged assassination attempt.

Navalny fell ill on a domestic Russian flight in August and was transported to Germany for treatment. 

French and Swedish labs have confirmed Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent which was also used in the suspected poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. 

The Kremlin has denied allegations it was behind Nalvany’s sickness and says Russian officials have seen no evidence of poisoning. 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested in interviews that senior Russian officials ordered the poisoning. However, President Trump has stated that he has not seen evidence yet linking Putin to the alleged Novichok.

News of Putin’s nomination also comes after Trump was recognized twice for his role brokering relations between between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The recipient is selected by a five-person Nobel Committee, which is appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. The winner of the Peace Prize for 2021 will be announced in October 2021.