Trump: Ukraine can forget about NATO

US President Donald Trump has rejected Ukraine's prospects for NATO membership, saying the alliance's expansion is a significant factor in the ongoing conflict with Russia.

These statements have sparked discussions about US foreign policy and NATO's involvement.

During his first cabinet meeting on February 26, Trump attributed the war to NATO expansion and unequivocally stated that Ukraine's joining the alliance was not up for discussion, Republic writes.

When asked about a possible solution to the war, Trump replied: "NATO, you can forget about it. I think that was the beginning of it all."

Trump also stressed that European countries, not the United States, should be responsible for providing security guarantees to Ukraine. He stressed his administration's commitment to a peace agreement between Kiev and Moscow to end the ongoing conflict.

The meeting was attended by key cabinet members, including Elon Musk.

The dispute between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has escalated after Trump called Zelensky a “dictator.” Trump’s criticism followed Zelensky’s earlier statement, in which the Ukrainian leader said Trump had fallen into Russia’s “disinformation space.” This followed Trump’s claim that Zelensky’s presidency was illegitimate because there had been no elections in Ukraine.