US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reaffirmed that Ukraine will not be part of NATO amid peace efforts in the ongoing war, and called Kyiv a “buffer” between Russia and Europe.
While speaking to Fox &
Friends, Trump confirmed that arrangements are underway for a direct meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to push for a peace agreement to halt the war. “They are doing okay. I don’t think they are ever going to be best friends, but they are doing okay,” he said.
“They (Ukraine) are not going to be part of NATO, but we’ve got the European nations who will frontload it. France, Germany and the UK want to have boots on the ground. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. I think Putin is tired of it. We are going to find out President Putin in the next few weeks,” he added.
He also said there would be a security guarantee for Ukraine, but it would not be NATO. “That is not something that would ever, ever happen. If you were Russia, who would want to have your enemy, your opponent, sitting on your line? You don’t do that. It was always thought that Ukraine was a buffer between Russia and Europe. And it was.”
He also said that the US had become the “hottest” country anywhere in the world and was being respected by global leaders, which was seen when European leaders came to Washington on Monday to accompany Zelenskyy for peace talks.
‘Don’t Care About The Relationship’
Trump further discussed calling Putin during his talks with Zelenskyy at the White House, saying, “I called President Putin and I do have a good relationship, but it only matters if we get things done, otherwise I don’t care about the relationship.”
He also repeated his claim about resolving seven wars, including the conflict between India and Pakistan, and said the Ukraine war was the most difficult to solve. He also suggested that US support for Ukraine’s security could come in the form of air power.
He also blamed former President Joe Biden for the millions who had been killed during the Ukraine conflict. “This is a war that would have never, ever, ever happened if we had a president — a real president,” he told Fox & Friends.
Earlier, Trump had described his talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders in the White House as “a very good, early step” toward ending the nearly four-year-old Russia-Ukraine war, while revealing that he had already spoken with Putin about arranging a direct meeting with Zelenskyy.
If that takes place, he said, the next stage would be a “Trilat” — a trilateral meeting involving himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy, who has already agreed to meet his Russian counterpart. There has been no official confirmation from Putin, who met Trump in Alaska last week.
