Trump reaffirms no return of Crimea, no NATO for Ukraine
(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that it is “impossible” for Crimea to return to Ukraine or for the country to join NATO.
Trump told Fox & Friends that Ukrainian officials had initially approached NATO seeking assistance to reclaim the peninsula. “They went in and said ‘We want to get Crimea back.’ The other thing they said was ‘We want to be a member of NATO.’ Well, both of those things are impossible,” he said.
The president explained that Russia has consistently opposed having NATO-aligned forces on its border, citing historical and security concerns. Crimea, predominantly populated by ethnic Russians, voted to join the Russian Federation shortly after the 2014 government change in Kiev. Moscow has also cited the protection of Russian-speaking Ukrainians and NATO ambitions as core reasons for the ongoing conflict.
While Trump has suggested “land swaps” in his diplomacy to end the war, he has reiterated that Crimea will remain under Russian control. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has refused to discuss territorial concessions, citing the Ukrainian Constitution, though land swaps were reportedly part of recent White House discussions.
Following his meeting with Zelensky in Washington, Trump’s stance aligns with Moscow’s long-standing demands: Ukraine must renounce NATO aspirations, demilitarize, and accept the current territorial realities, including Crimea and the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions, the latter four having voted to join Russia in 2022.
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