President Donald Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize on Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., marking the first time the global soccer organization has issued the award.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the trophy, which features golden hands holding a soccer ball, along with a medal. The award recognizes individuals who advance peace and unity through leadership and action, according to a certificate accompanying the prize.
Trump said during the presentation, “This is truly one of the great honors of my life.” He noted discussions with Infantino about efforts he said saved “millions and millions of lives” and highlighted wars he claimed were ended during his presidency.
Diplomatic Momentum on Ukraine
Ukraine agreed to the U.S. peace proposal with only “minor details” remaining to be resolved, a U.S. official told CBS News in November. Rustem Umerov, a senior Ukrainian national security official, wrote on X that Kyiv had reached an understanding on the “core terms” of the American plan following recent discussions in Geneva.
The United States and Russia held undisclosed talks in Abu Dhabi last month as the Trump administration works to sustain momentum behind its evolving peace initiative. U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi, while Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, was also present during the discussions.
The original 28-point U.S. proposal was refined following U.S.-Ukraine talks to address Kyiv’s concerns that the initial draft favored Moscow. The most recent version under negotiation contains 19 points.
Ongoing Conflict and International Response
Ukrainian officials reported intense Russian strikes overnight into Tuesday, involving 460 drones and 22 missiles, resulting in multiple civilian deaths and dozens of injuries. Russia said a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on its territory had caused additional civilian casualties.
Romania, a NATO member, detected at least two Russian drones that breached its airspace during Moscow’s latest aerial attack on Ukraine and scrambled fighter jets in response. European allies, dissatisfied with Trump’s initial peace proposal, developed their own counter-proposal, stating no final framework affecting the European Union or NATO could be agreed to without consent of all member states.
Russia rejected the European plan as unacceptable.