Ukraine.- AMP.- Trump says Ukraine "won't get Crimea back" and "can't join NATO."

Upon his arrival in the United States, Zelensky suggests he will not give up Crimea: "Just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odessa, or Kharkiv after 2022."

MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)

US President Donald Trump has stated that the return of the Crimean peninsula—annexed by Russia in 2014—and Ukraine's accession to NATO are off the table, on the eve of his meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, where they will discuss the issues discussed during last Friday's summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Remember how it started. You won't get back the Crimea that (former President Barack) Obama gave you (12 years ago, without firing a shot!), and Ukraine won't be able to join NATO. Some things never change!" he asserted on his Truth Social network, in a brief message in which he noted that "Zelensky can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants, or he can keep fighting."

Shortly after, Trump used the same platform to celebrate that "tomorrow is a great day at the White House." "We've never seen so many European leaders together. It's a great honor to welcome them!" he added, ahead of the expected arrival in Washington DC of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Finland, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will accompany Zelensky.

For his part, the Ukrainian president, who confirmed his arrival in Washington, DC, stated via his Telegram channel that "we all equally wish to end this war quickly and safely."

"And peace must be lasting. Not like years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our east, part of the Donbas, and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Or when Ukraine received supposed "security guarantees" in 1994, but they didn't work," he argued, before maintaining that "it wasn't worth giving up Crimea then, just as after 2022 Ukrainians won't give up Kyiv, Odessa, or Kharkiv.

In this regard, he reiterated that "Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence" and expressed hope that "our relationship with the United States and our European friends will force Russia to achieve true peace."

"I am confident that we will protect Ukraine and effectively ensure its security, and our people will always be grateful to President Trump, to everyone in the United States, and to all its partners for their support and invaluable assistance," he said.

This exchange of statements comes days after the meeting in Alaska between Trump and his Russian counterpart, with no concrete announcements regarding a truce in Ukraine. However, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff announced this Sunday that he had reached an agreement with the Kremlin to provide "robust security guarantees" to Ukraine in the event of a hypothetical peace agreement with Moscow, and that the country would be granted a protected status very similar to what it would receive if it were a NATO member.