Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Moscow's opposition to Ukraine's NATO membership during talks with US officials in Moscow, describing it as a "key question."
Putin's top aide Yury Ushakov said the Americans were willing to take Russian concerns into account and consider key proposals. However, Russia insists that Ukraine must never be allowed to join the military alliance.
The issue of territory also remains unresolved, with Ushakov stating that no compromise has been reached on regions captured by Russia, which plans to keep.
US President Donald Trump described the Moscow meeting as "reasonably good," but said he could not reveal any details about what was discussed. He stated that Russia is eager to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine, although it remains unclear whether progress will be made.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for increased pressure on Russia to achieve peace. "Right now the world clearly feels there's an opportunity to end the war and that current diplomatic activities must be reinforced with pressure on the aggressor," he said.
NATO officials, however, expressed a more negative view of the talks, accusing Putin of showing no willingness to stop the full-scale war in Ukraine.
While some European allies have been quick to criticize Russia's actions, not all NATO members have shown the same level of resolve. Hungary, for example, announced that it will not send any weapons or money to Ukraine, citing concerns about "brutal war fanaticism" within some member states.
As tensions continue to rise in Ukraine, it remains unclear what Trump's next move will be. Some analysts fear he may try to pressure Ukraine into a bad deal, while others worry that he may lose interest and walk away from the conflict altogether.
Meanwhile, the European Union has agreed to phase out Russian gas by late 2027, a move seen as a symbolic gesture of support for Ukraine. In Ukraine itself, parliament passed a budget that prioritizes defense spending, with more than one-quarter of GDP allocated to the military and buying and producing new weapons.
Putin's top aide Yury Ushakov said the Americans were willing to take Russian concerns into account and consider key proposals. However, Russia insists that Ukraine must never be allowed to join the military alliance.
The issue of territory also remains unresolved, with Ushakov stating that no compromise has been reached on regions captured by Russia, which plans to keep.
US President Donald Trump described the Moscow meeting as "reasonably good," but said he could not reveal any details about what was discussed. He stated that Russia is eager to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine, although it remains unclear whether progress will be made.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for increased pressure on Russia to achieve peace. "Right now the world clearly feels there's an opportunity to end the war and that current diplomatic activities must be reinforced with pressure on the aggressor," he said.
NATO officials, however, expressed a more negative view of the talks, accusing Putin of showing no willingness to stop the full-scale war in Ukraine.
While some European allies have been quick to criticize Russia's actions, not all NATO members have shown the same level of resolve. Hungary, for example, announced that it will not send any weapons or money to Ukraine, citing concerns about "brutal war fanaticism" within some member states.
As tensions continue to rise in Ukraine, it remains unclear what Trump's next move will be. Some analysts fear he may try to pressure Ukraine into a bad deal, while others worry that he may lose interest and walk away from the conflict altogether.
Meanwhile, the European Union has agreed to phase out Russian gas by late 2027, a move seen as a symbolic gesture of support for Ukraine. In Ukraine itself, parliament passed a budget that prioritizes defense spending, with more than one-quarter of GDP allocated to the military and buying and producing new weapons.
they just wanna keep their own territory safe, and they got legit concerns about nato expansion into their backyard 
ukraine's not a democratic country yet, how can we trust them to join nato? 
trump's trying to make a deal with putin, but he doesn't know the first thing about it 
and don't even get me started on hungary, they're just making excuses for russia's behavior 
He's just talking out of both sides of his mouth. Russia is going to keep taking territory no matter what happens. Meanwhile, Ukraine is making moves like phasing out gas and prioritizing defense spending. It's not looking good for them. 
I'm thinking Putin's all about playing hardball here 
NATO's got its work cut out trying to balance both sides 
Trump seems like he's trying to make a deal, but what if it doesn't pan out? 
And EU's taking a stand by cutting off Russian gas, nice move! 
. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, they're actually increasing defense spending by 25%! 
That's a lot of cash going into military gear. Trump just said Moscow is eager to end the war, but how much pressure will he really put on Putin? I bet its gonna be some backroom deal 
Did you know that Hungary won't send any aid to Ukraine? What's up with that? 
pizza when I saw this news... I mean, Putin's opposition to Ukraine joining NATO is crazy. Like, what's next? Russia gonna try to join a pizza club or something? 
Anyway, seriously though, it's all so complicated. I feel like the world needs a good ol' fashioned family dinner to sort out these issues. You know, like when your aunt brings up a sensitive topic and you're like "okay, let's table that for now"? 
And can we talk about Hungary not sending any weapons or money to Ukraine? Like, what's going on there? Are they just trying to avoid being the bad guy at the dinner table? 
Putin is like super strict about them joinin NATO lolol idk wut u think he'll do tho... 
meanwhile trump is just chillin sayin its "reasonably good" 
hope zen ukraine gets da support dey need 
. And what really gets me is how some NATO members are being super lax about the whole thing 
...
just heard about these talks between Russia and US officials 
Don't wanna see a compromise there. Meanwhile, EU is taking a big stance with phasing out Russian gas 
Ukraine needs to keep pushing for more support from its allies 
And what's up with Hungary being all chill about sending aid? Can't believe it 
like wot's gonna happen if ukraine joins? is it gonna b all good 4 them? tbh, i think trump just wants 2 get outta there ASAP 
nato's all about unity btw what's w/ hungary not supporting Ukraine 2 b honest 
. It's not all doom and gloom, guys. Maybe we can actually find some common ground here 
And let's give credit where credit is due - Ukraine's taking matters into its own hands by prioritizing defense spending 
.
And Ukraine is all like "we need more weapons" and I'm over here thinking "yaaas, go for it". 
. It's also gonna hurt some European countries that rely heavily on Russian gas for their own economy.
. It's time for some real talk and not just symbolic gestures 
.