EU chief diplomat disputes Trump's claim that Ukraine cannot join NATO

Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has emphasised that NATO membership is the only effective security guarantee for Ukraine.

Kallas noted in an interview with AFP during a visit to Washington that NATO countries have never attacked Russia, a country that is "afraid of democracy".

"Why are we in NATO? It is because we are afraid of Russia. And the only thing that really works – the only security guarantee that works – is NATO's umbrella," she said.

Trump, who recently spoke with Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin, breaking his isolation, stated on Wednesday that any settlement would mean Ukraine could "forget about" NATO membership, claiming, "I think that's probably the reason the whole thing started".

"These accusations are totally untrue," Kallas said when asked about Trump's remarks. "That is the Russian narrative that we should not buy," she stressed.

"Consider here in America that after 9/11 you would have sat down with Osama bin Laden and said, 'OK, what else do you want?' I mean, it's unimaginable," Kallas noted.

Russia maintains that the United States promised not to expand NATO at the end of the Cold War.

However, some American diplomats from that time challenged this assertion, while others cautioned that an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO would be a red line for Moscow.

The US president has previously suggested that the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine stemmed from NATO, specifically the prospect of Ukraine eventually joining the Alliance.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has also ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine as part of a "peaceful settlement" to the war.

Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to insist that its stance on NATO membership remains unchanged.