(AFP) – President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out offering US security guarantees or NATO membership for Ukraine as his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to visit to seal a deal on handing over natural resources. Trump, who has upended US policy by reaching out to Russia and seeking a quick end to the three-year war, said that European allies would bear responsibility for Ukraine’s security.
Addressing reporters at a cabinet meeting, Trump said Zelensky would visit Friday and sign the agreement after intense US pressure to hand over rare earths used in aerospace and other technology. “It’s a great deal for Ukraine, too, because they get us over there,” Trump said. “We’ll be on the land and, you know, in that way, it’s this sort of automatic security, because nobody’s going to be messing around with our people when we’re there,” Trump said. But Trump ruled out the United States providing more formal security guarantees, as sought by Kyiv. “I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much,” Trump said. “We’re going to have Europe do that,” Trump said. “Europe is their next-door neighbor, but we’re going to make sure everything goes well.”
Asked what concessions would need to be made to end the war, he ruled out Ukrainian membership in NATO, again repeating Russia’s stance that the issue was behind its invasion. “NATO — you can forget about,” Trump said. “I think that’s probably the reason the whole thing started.” Former president Joe Biden backed Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO without offering a concrete timeframe. The United States on Monday sided with Russia at the United Nations and against nearly all its European allies with a resolution that called for an end to the war without stressing the territorial integrity of Ukraine. “We’re going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides,” Trump said Wednesday. “But for Ukraine, we’re going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much back as possible.”
Trump insisted that his diplomacy was bringing a new spirit of compromise from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who earlier “wanted the whole thing” in Ukraine. “He’s a very smart guy. He’s a very cunning person,” Trump said of Putin. “I think we’re going to have a deal. If I didn’t get elected, I believe he would have just continued to go through Ukraine.”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday told Trump that the Europeans would consider sending troops to protect any deal but that US support was critical as a means to guarantee security. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to deliver a similar message when he meets Trump on Thursday.
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