Trump says Ukraine can “forget about” NATO membership

US President Donald Trump said today that Ukraine “can forget” about joining NATO, a goal to which he attributed the current conflict between this country and Russia.

“You can forget about NATO (…) I think that’s probably why it all started,” Trump said today, referring to the conflict in Ukraine, for which he has refused to blame Russia, which invaded the neighboring country three years ago.

In a press conference after the first meeting of his executive, Trump also said he hopes to meet soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to reach an agreement to end the conflict.

The US President refused to detail what concessions he would ask from both sides, stressing that he considered Ukraine's aspiration to join the Atlantic Alliance unacceptable.

Trump and Zelensky will sign a minerals deal at the White House on Friday, which the US leader demanded in exchange for US aid to Kiev.

Also today, Zelensky announced that the basis for an economic agreement with the United States is ready, although he said that this agreement does not offer US security guarantees that Kiev considers vital to resisting the Russian invasion.

A full agreement may depend on negotiations scheduled to take place in Washington as early as Friday, Zelensky said during a press conference in Kiev.

The agreed framework is a preliminary step towards a comprehensive package that will be subject to ratification by the Ukrainian parliament, he explained.

At the White House, Trump assured that he is determined to reach an agreement with Ukraine on rare earths (minerals), in order to get back much of the money that the United States sent to Kiev.

“[Former President Joe] Biden spent about $350 billion and got none of it back. I’m going to make sure we get that money back and more,” Trump said, adding that he hopes to reach a good deal with Zelensky when he visits the White House.

Zelensky had already rejected initial US offers, arguing that they did not contain adequate security guarantees for Ukraine and that the proposed price tag of $500 billion (about 480 billion euros) would saddle generations of Ukrainians with debt.

However, Kiev has shown interest in using US investments as a way to tie the US to Ukraine's fate.

The latest version of the agreement says the United States “supports Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees necessary to establish a lasting peace,” but does not specify any U.S. commitment to provide that security.

Today, at the press conference, Trump clarified that some European leaders – including French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer – had already promised to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, as part of a peace agreement in Ukraine.

Starmer and Macron on Tuesday praised the US president's "leadership" in favor of a "lasting peace" in Ukraine, which "must be at the heart of any negotiations".

According to the British prime minister's office, Starmer and Macron agreed in a telephone conversation that it was timely for "President Trump to lead in working towards lasting peace in Ukraine."

“Both reiterated that Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations, and the UK and Europe stand ready to play their part,” the Downing Street statement said.

Starmer will be in the United States on Thursday for a bilateral meeting with Trump, with whom he will discuss the Ukraine peace initiative and increased defense spending.

Macron and Trump met in Washington, DC on Monday, the third anniversary of the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was the main issue discussed.

While direct contacts are underway between Washington and Moscow over a peace agreement in Ukraine, excluding the European bloc and Kiev, Trump defended the policy of conciliation towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the argument of protecting pro-Russian separatist minorities in the east and “denazifying” the neighboring country, independent since 1991 – after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union – and which has been moving away from Moscow's sphere of influence and closer to Europe and the West.