Zelensky: US 'didn't want us in NATO' even before Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday the U.S. did not want Ukraine to join NATO even before the Trump administration began changing the country's approach toward the Russia-Ukraine war.
"The U.S. never saw us in NATO, they just spoke about it. They really didn’t want us in NATO," Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference.
He went on to say that if Ukraine is not able to join the actual alliance, "we’ll make NATO in Ukraine."
Ukraine's stated goals in the war had been a return to its 2014 borders and membership in NATO, but Trump officials have thrown cold water on those objectives, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth describing them as unrealistic this week before later walking back those remarks.
Zelensky is set to meet with Vice President Vance at the conference, with many European observers hoping the latter will provide insight into the Trump administration's plans for a negotiated peace agreement in Ukraine.
Vance, who as a senator was deeply skeptical of U.S. aid to Kyiv, also addressed the conference Friday, admonishing European officials over their approaches to freedom of speech and immigration and warning that if they don't adapt, they risk losing public support.
“If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there’s nothing America can do for you,” the vice president said in his speech.
Vance's comments, including a brief reference to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, come amid heightened anxiety and doubt about the Trump administration's handling of the war.
The Biden administration had been full-throated in its defense of Kyiv against Moscow's invasion, but President Trump has aggressively pressed for peace talks, saying it's time for the fighting to end.
Trump spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, with Zelensky later expressing disappointment Trump didn't talk with him first.
Speaking with reporters at the White House, Trump declined to say whether he considers Ukraine to be an "equal member" in discussions to end the war.
"It’s an interesting question," he said, later adding, "I think they have to make peace. Their people are being killed, and I think they have to make peace. I said that was not a good war to go into, and I think they have to make peace."
Earlier Friday, Vance held separate meetings with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and Britain Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
In these meetings, Vance repeated the Republican administration's demand that NATO countries increase their defense spending. Currently, 23 out of 32 NATO member countries are meeting the alliance's goal of allocating 2 percent of their GDP to defense.
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