WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has said the Ukrainian president can end Russia’s war “if he wants to”, but there would be “no going into Nato by Ukraine” as part of a peace deal.
Hours before he was due to host Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, Trump also said there would be “no getting back” of the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion.
Trump’s remarks follow his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska that resulted in the US president dropping a demand for a ceasefire and calling instead for a permanent peace deal. After arriving in the US late on Sunday, Zelensky reiterated his call for allies’ effective security guarantees.
A US envoy said on Sunday that Putin had agreed to a possible Nato-like security pact for Ukraine.
The Russian president has consistently opposed the idea of Ukraine joining the military alliance. Posting on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, Trump said: “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.
“Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” Trump added.
Before Trump’s return to power in January, Nato countries agreed on Kyiv’s “irreversible path” to membership in the alliance.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, alongside European leaders including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, will join Zelensky in Washington for talks on Ukraine’s future on Monday. Also attending are French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. – BBC
