United States President Donald Trump declared that Russia will have to make ‘concessions’ in negotiations with Ukraine. He stated that Ukraine ‘can forget’ about joining North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Trump’ statement came before his cabinet meeting. He asserted that the United States would ‘try very hard’ to negotiate a deal and ensure that Ukraine regains maximum.

Trump Pledges To Make ‘Best Deal’

Trump also responded to whether Russia retaining occupied territories would send a dangerous message. He said that they are going to do the best they can for Ukraine. “You try and take it away, right? We’re going to do the best we can. We’re going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides. But for Ukraine, we’re going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much back as possible. We want to get as much back as possible,” said Trump.

Trump On NATO

While Trump stated that he would try to make a good deal or Ukraine, he did not specify what concessions he is expecting from Russia and Ukraine. Trump reiterated that Ukraine “can forget” about NATO membership and blamed the alliance for the war that began in 2022.

Trump said, “I don’t want to tell right now. But I can tell you that NATO, you can forget about. That’s been, I think that’s probably the reason the whole thing started.”

Notably, United States President Donald Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. The leaders will sign what Trump called “a very big agreement” to share revenue from Ukraine’s rare earth mineral deposits, even though the two leaders remain far apart on whether the US will provide security guarantees for Ukraine once its war with Russia is over.