Trump rules out Ukraine joining NATO or getting Crimea back Ahead of meeting with Zelenskyy

US President Donald Trump has ruled out Ukraine joining NATO and the return of Crimea as he weighed in on the ongoing war with Russia. 

In posts on his Truth Social platform on the night of August 17, Trump wrote that the Ukrainian president could end the war “almost immediately” if he wanted to, Caliber.Az reports.

“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!!!” he wrote. 

The remarks came hours before Trump is set to meet with a group of European leaders, including UK Labour leader Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the White House. 

Following the earlier post, Trump expressed enthusiasm about hosting the European delegation, writing that August 18 will be a “big day” at the White House.

“Big day at the White House tomorrow [August 19 - ed.]. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!” the US leader wrote, adding in a separate post that “The Fake News will say that it is a big loss for President Trump to host so many great European Leaders at our beautiful White House. Actually, it is a great honor for America!!!”

Arriving in Washington late on August 17, Zelenskyy expressed hope that the united strength of Ukraine, the US, and European allies would pressure Russia into peace. 

“I am grateful to the president of the United States for the invitation. We all equally want to end this war swiftly and reliably,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. “And I hope that our shared strength with America and with our European friends will compel Russia to real peace.”

The meeting comes as Zelenskyy faces the difficult challenge of addressing damage to Ukraine’s security prospects following the Trump-Putin summit held in Alaska on August 15. That meeting has raised concerns among Western allies.

Earlier, Trump defended the Alaska encounter, accusing the media of misrepresenting his “great meeting in Alaska” and claiming he had made “big progress” on Russia, though without providing details.

On August 18, European leaders are expected to reaffirm their support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and oppose any land swap plans that would reward Russian aggression. They will also seek clearer commitments from the US regarding security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace settlement.

Russia’s envoy to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, stated that any future peace agreement must include security guarantees for Kyiv but insisted that Moscow should receive “efficient security guarantees” as well.

UK Labour leader Starmer, while praising Trump’s “efforts to end Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine,” emphasised that the “path to peace” must include Zelenskyy and called for increased sanctions against Russia.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Putin had agreed for the first time to US and European protection for Ukraine as part of a deal. This protection would fall outside NATO’s framework but would be equivalent to the alliance’s Article 5 self-defence pact.

By Sabina Mammadli