**Trump: Ukraine Can’t Join NATO**
US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine can forget about joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This was during a meeting at the White House where he was asked what concessions Ukraine should make in a settlement.
Mr. Trump has often blamed US President Joe Biden for provoking Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by supporting its NATO membership bid. Russian propaganda also uses this as an excuse for the war.
Ukraine applied to join NATO in September 2022 and the alliance said last year that Ukraine’s path to membership is “irreversible”. However, no formal invitation has been made.
**No Sanctions Relief**
When asked if Russia would get sanctions relief before a deal to end the war, Trump said no. He wants to see if an agreement can be reached first. The US has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia since the start of the invasion, targeting banks and energy exports among other things.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously said that sanctions relief could be part of negotiations, but insisted that restrictions would remain until an agreement is reached.
**Zelensky to Visit Washington**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit Washington on February 28 to sign a minerals agreement with the US.