U.S President, Donald Trump has stated that Ukraine should forget its hopes of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
His comments came shortly before a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.
Trump said that his diplomatic efforts had sparked a new spirit of compromise from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who “wanted the whole thing” in Ukraine.
“We’re going to do the best to make the best deal we can for both sides,” Trump said.
Currently, Russia occupies Crimea and a significant portion of Eastern Ukraine, which accounts for approximately 20% of the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron informed Trump that the Europeans would consider sending military to secure any agreement, but that U.S assistance was required to ensure security.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also expected to convey a similar message to Trump when they meet on Thursday.
Zelensky had been advocating for Ukraine’s membership in the transatlantic alliance as a sure fire way to create long-term peace and defend itself against another Russian invasion.
He declared over the weekend that he would be willing to resign from office if Ukraine could join NATO.
Trump is expected to meet with Putin soon, but both governments have stated that more delegation meetings will be needed before the two leaders can meet face to face.
