Trump suggests Ukraine may 'forget' about NATO membership

Ukraine needs to set aside its aspirations for NATO membership as part of negotiations to end Russia's full-scale invasion, U.S. President Donald Trump said during the first cabinet meeting, broadcast by the White House.

"But I can tell you that NATO, you can forget about. That’s been probably the reason the whole thing started," said the American leader.

When asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin would have to make concessions, Trump responded affirmatively, stating that "he is going to have to".

Trump believes that Putin would have wanted to fully occupy Ukraine if the Democrats had remained in power in the United States, and that the war would have allegedly lasted even longer without attempts to make peace.

"And I also believe, if we didn’t get elected, if this administration didn’t win the election by a lot, that that war would go on for a long time, and he would want to take the whole thing," the US president said.

He added that Putin would have continued to march through Ukraine and more people would have died over time.

Trump also described Putin as a "very smart" and "very cunning" person.

This statement follows comments by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on February 12, who deemed Ukraine's NATO membership and return to 2014 borders as unrealistic.

In response, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reaffirmed Kyiv's commitment to joining NATO.

However, reports from NBC suggest that Ukraine could automatically gain NATO membership if Russia violates any peace agreement.