US President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine should abandon the prospect of joining NATO as part of a potential peace agreement to end the war.
He made this statement during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, February 26. When asked about possible concessions from Ukraine, Trump said, “Forget about NATO,” adding that, in his opinion, the war might have started because of this.
Previously, Trump had already claimed that NATO’s expansion and promises of Ukraine’s future membership could have provoked Russia’s full-scale invasion.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also stated earlier that Ukraine would not become part of NATO as part of any potential peaceful resolution to the conflict. Meanwhile, Kyiv continues to insist that its position on NATO membership remains unchanged.
