Fact Check: Did Hillary Clinton say Trump wants Putin’s favor more than a Nobel Prize?

WASHINGTON, DC: After President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for targeting Russia’s diesel fuel, a rumor began circulating online claiming that former First Lady Hillary Clinton slammed Trump, accusing him of favoring Russia. The claim has sparked concerns and speculation, prompting a fact-check into the rumor.

Claim: Hillary Clinton accuses Donald Trump of favoring Russia 

According to a viral claim, former President Bill Clinton’s wife has reacted to Trump's remarks against Ukraine for attacking Russia’s diesel fuel.

The viral post quotes Clinton as saying, "If Trump gets Ukraine a good peace deal. I’ll nominate him for a Nobel. But he wants Putin’s favor even more than he wants a Nobel."

The post has garnered more than two hundred thousand views as of this writing, with many appearing to believe it is an actual exchange between the former rivals of the presidential campaign, and calling for a fact-check.

Fact Check: The claim is partially true

Although Clinton indeed said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Prize herself if he secures an end to the war in Ukraine without Kyiv ceding territory to Russia, there are no records of her stating that Trump wants Putin’s favor more than a Nobel Prize.

"If we could pull that off, if President Trump were the architect of that, I'd nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, because my goal here is to not allow capitulation to Putin, aided and abetted by the United States. I think that's a terrible, terrible precedent," Clinton said in August 2025.  

"I'm dreaming that for whatever combination of reasons, including the elusive Nobel Peace Prize, President Trump may actually stand up to Putin on behalf of not just Ukraine and its democracy and its very brave people, but frankly, on behalf of our own security and interests," she added. 

Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian oil

The claim surfaced after Trump on Sunday, September 13, called on Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, warning him of a global shortage.

"Mr Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia," Trump said. "Let him go after targets but not diesel fuel, because he's causing a shortage of diesel fuel." 

Trump's remarks came after diesel prices in the US hit a record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon.