Trump rejects Kyiv’s NATO membership demand, says maybe Putin 'doesn't want to make a deal'

US President Donald Trump - File Photo

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his opposition to Ukraine’s NATO membership, aligning with a long-standing Russian demand.

“We don’t want them on our border,” Trump said in an interview to 'Fox & Friends', describing Moscow’s stance toward the Western alliance. “And they were right. They were okay.”

Trump said it remains uncertain whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is even prepared to negotiate an agreement to end the war, which Moscow launched three years ago. “I think Putin is tired of it,” Trump said. “I think they’re all tired of it. But you never know. We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks, that I can tell you, and we’re going to see where it all goes. It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal.”

"This is a war that would have never, ever, ever happened if we had a president — a real president."

President Trump points the blame at former president Joe Biden over the millions who have died during the war in Ukraine. | @foxandfriends pic.twitter.com/TrsjnLRxJh

— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 19, 2025

Turning to the conflict more broadly, Trump stressed his priority was to save lives. “I’m just trying to stop people from being killed,” he said, assuring that no American boots would be on the ground in Ukraine. He underscored the urgency of pushing for a negotiated settlement, warning that further delays would only mean “thousands more perishing in the war.”

Trump further suggested that Putin and Zelenskyy should first meet directly before any proposed trilateral summit, underscoring his role as a potential mediator in a conflict that has shaken global security.

On Monday, Zelensky and Trump met together with Kyiv's European allies to present a united front and push for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion grinding through its fourth year.

It ended with Trump pushing for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky, who has said that the conflict can only be ended with talks involving leaders.

Russia warned that any solution of the war in Ukraine must respect "Russia's security interests", with its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov adding that any meeting between the leaders "must be prepared very thoroughly".

Face-to-face talks between Zelensky and Putin would be their first since Russia's brutal invasion three-and-a-half years ago.

The Ukraine war, which has killed tens of thousands of people, has ground to a virtual stalemate despite a few recent Russian advances, defying Trump's push to end it.