Trump: Ukraine in NATO Is Impractical, But US Aid Will Continue

US President Donald Trump said on February 12 in the Oval Office that he does not consider Ukraine’s NATO membership practical, but stated that Washington will continue providing aid.

“I don’t think it’s practical to have it, personally. I know that a new Secretary of Defense, who’s excellent, Pete (Hegseth), made a statement today saying that he thinks it’s unlikely or impractical. I think probably that's true. Long before President Putin, they said there’s no way they’d allow that,” Trump explained.

US President also said he does not see any problem with engaging in dialogue with Russia without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being involved.

“I don’t see anything wrong with engaging in dialogue with Russia without Zelenskyy,” he stated.

Trump said he believes in the possibility of achieving a ceasefire in the near future: “I mentioned it of a ceasefire so we can stop the killing and I think we'll probably end up at some point getting a ceasefire in the not too distant future.”

Previously, Donald Trump announced that he expects to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin, with their first face-to-face meeting likely to take place in Saudi Arabia.