U.S. President Donald Trump has once again made a series of controversial statements. This time, he promised Ukraine and Russia the "best peace deal" and responded to who should concede what. This was reported by Kontrakty.UA.
For all the details, see the exclusive report on TSN.ua.
Return of Occupied Territories to Ukraine
First and foremost, Trump assessed the possibility of returning the territories seized by Russia back to Ukraine. He stated that the agreement to end the war would involve returning some of the occupied lands under Kyiv's control and promised to "do everything possible" and "try to ensure that Ukraine gets back as much as possible."
Sanctions Against Russia: Are the U.S. Willing to Compromise?
During a meeting, Trump also mentioned that he could ease sanctions against Russia but would wait for agreements.
"I think we can make it happen. I had a productive conversation with President Putin and President Zelensky. Just four weeks ago, no one thought peace would be achieved. We will try to reach an agreement that both Russia and Ukraine will agree on. So that Ukraine can get back as much as possible," said Trump.
Ukraine's NATO Membership
Regarding Ukraine's NATO membership, Trump expressed a more blunt stance. He stated that our country "should forget about it." Trump excluded the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, believing that this was what prompted Putin to start a full-scale war.
At the same time, the U.S. president referred to the Kremlin's leader as "a smart guy and a very cunning person."
"I've dealt with some truly bad people, but I will tell you that in this regard, he had no intention, in my opinion, of resolving this war," Trump suggested, adding that if he hadn't been elected, Putin wouldn't have agreed to ceasefire and "many people would have been killed."
Territorial Concessions
The U.S. president also commented on potential territorial concessions by Ukraine as part of the "peace deal," assuring that he would strive to reach the "best agreement." Trump stated that Putin "will be forced" to make concessions in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
"He will have to. And I think, I believe that because we were elected, this war will come to an end," said the U.S. president.
Who Will Guarantee Ukraine's Security Moving Forward
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that European countries will guarantee security in Ukraine after a ceasefire. In a cabinet meeting, he announced that he "does not intend to give too many security guarantees to Ukraine."
"We will make Europe do it... We are talking about Europe being their closest neighbor, but we guarantee that everything will go well," he said.
Donald Trump also assured that the United Kingdom and France are ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine. The U.S. supports these initiatives.
Agreement on Resources
The president also spoke about an agreement with the United States concerning minerals. The key point, according to him, is the absence of any financial obligations that would make Ukraine a debtor.
"The agreement does not include 500 billion in debt, nor 350, nor 100. That would be unfair to us. If we are talking about the fund provided by this framework agreement, everything is settled there, and I believe we have equal partners," he explained.
It is worth noting that Zelensky stated he would not agree to a ceasefire without security guarantees. According to him, the end of the war must happen in such a way that everyone knows it will not start again tomorrow.
Additionally, Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the new revised agreement with the U.S. regarding Ukrainian rare earth minerals will indeed discuss security guarantees. Furthermore, the president promised that the numerical strength of the Ukrainian army will be preserved as much as possible.
Both Trump and Zelensky have already confirmed their meeting in Washington on February 28. The day before, the Ukrainian president, in his evening address, stated that guarantees of peace and security are the key to ensuring that Russia no longer destroys the lives of other nations.
Meanwhile, Trump mentioned that he would meet with Zelensky to sign an agreement on rare earth minerals and the reconstruction of war-torn Ukraine.