Trump confirms he does not see Ukraine in NATO: "Russia won't allow it"
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he does not see Ukraine joining NATO due to Russia’s position and blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for "provoking" Moscow into launching its full-scale war.
Source: European Pravda, citing Trump's remarks to journalists at the White House on Thursday, 13 February
Details: Trump stated that he continues to support US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s comments about Ukraine’s NATO membership not being part of a diplomatic settlement to the war.
Quote: "I don’t see any way that a country in Russia’s position could allow them [the Ukrainians – ed.] to join NATO. I don’t see that happening."
More details: Trump went on to claim that this was "the reason the war started", referring to the 2022 invasion.
"Because Biden went out and said that they could join NATO, and he shouldn't have said that. As soon as he said that, they [the Russians – ed.] said: 'You know what? You’re going to have a war now,'" Trump said, once again insisting that "this is a war that would never have happened if I were president".
Background:
- On 12 February, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and said Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine. He also confirmed that US troops would not take part in any peacekeeping operation.
- In response, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov reiterated that Ukraine’s position on NATO membership remains unchanged.
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