Donald Trump tells Ukraine to 'forget about' joining NATO ahead of meeting with Zelensky

Donald Trump said Ukraine "can forget about" joining NATO ahead of his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday.

The US president was asked what "concessions" would bring an end to the three-year-long Russia-Ukraine war following a Cabinet meeting.

He responded: "Oh, I don't want to tell right now. But I can tell you that NATO you can forget about. I think that's probably the reason the whole thing started."

Vice President JD Vance then chimed in, and while he agreed with Mr Trump's comments on holding private negotiations, he did not reiterate his stance on Ukraine joining NATO.

He said: "I mean, look, as the president said, we're not going to do the negotiation in public with the American media.

"He's going to do it in private with the president of Russia, with the president of Ukraine and with other leaders. I think that's how this has to go."

This comes just days after Mr Trump reversed three years of US policy regarding Ukraine.

And in the past two weeks alone, he falsely claimed Ukraine "should have never started the war", said Ukraine "may be Russian someday" and questioned the legitimacy of Mr Zelensky’s government.

He is also looking to broker a deal to the tune of £395 billion for the country's natural resources, which he sees as repayment for years of military aid.

Zelensky has already refused to sign two of the Trump administration's draft agreements on its mineral riches, saying the terms were too harsh.

The draft agreements reportedly included giving up revenue from minerals, oil gas, ports and other infrastructure, as per the New York Times.

However, Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said negotiations had been "very constructive" and are nearly finished.

She wrote on X: "Ukrainian and US teams are in the final stages of negotiations regarding the minerals agreement. The negotiations have been very constructive, with nearly all key details finalised.

"We are committed to completing this swiftly to proceed with its signature. We hope both US and UA leaders might sign and endorse it in Washington the soonest to showcase our commitment for decades to come."