Trump Proposes: No NATO for Ukraine, Crimea Stays with Russia

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could end the war with Russia immediately if he chooses to, but doing so would require Ukraine to abandon its hope of reclaiming Crimea and to withdraw its bid to join NATO.

In a post made late Sunday on his social media platform Truth Social, just hours before Zelensky’s scheduled meeting at the White House, Trump outlined what he views as a potential path to peace.

“President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia immediately if he wants, or keep fighting. Remember how it all started. Crimea was taken during the Obama Administration (12 years ago, without a single shot fired!), and Ukraine joining NATO was never going to happen. Some things never change!” Trump wrote.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move widely condemned by the international community. Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, dramatically escalating the conflict.

Last Friday, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump reportedly shifted his stance from supporting a temporary ceasefire to calling for a permanent peace agreement in Ukraine.

President Zelensky arrived in the United States on Sunday night to meet with Trump and other officials. In his remarks, Zelensky reiterated his call for stronger security assurances from Western allies. This meeting marks their first face-to-face encounter since heated debates in Washington earlier this year.

Zelensky is not attending the talks alone — European allies are also participating in the discussions in Washington, highlighting the broader international stakes of the ongoing war in Ukraine.