Trump Rules Out Ukraine’s NATO Membership and Crimea’s Return

Kokcha News Agency: In his latest remarks on Truth Social, former U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the return of Crimea to Ukraine and the country’s accession to NATO “will never happen.” Trump emphasized that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could “end the war immediately” if he desired.

Trump referenced the annexation of Crimea during Barack Obama’s presidency, stating that it was achieved “without firing a single shot” into Russian territory. He argued that returning to that era is no longer possible and that some issues will never change. Trump also described Monday, August 27, as a “great day at the White House,” noting that he had never hosted so many European leaders simultaneously and that it was a great honor for him.

In his posts, Trump mentioned Zelensky’s visit to the U.S. alongside European leaders to discuss the fate of the Ukraine-Russia war. He dismissed media claims that the presence of European leaders was a major defeat for him, instead framing it as a significant success for the United States.

Meanwhile, the President of the European Commission announced that European leaders would attend the White House meeting at Zelensky’s request. Prior to this, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a meeting to strengthen Zelensky’s position and provide additional security guarantees for Ukraine.

On the other hand, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Trump had concluded that meeting with Zelensky and European leaders was necessary but stressed that both Kyiv and Moscow would need to make concessions.