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Reclaiming occupied territories possible but 'not easy' for Ukraine, Trump claims

by Sonya Bandouil February 25, 2025 6:21 AM 1 min read
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2025. (Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 24 that he believes Ukraine might be able to reclaim some of its territories occupied by Russia, but it would be challenging.

He stated this in response to journalists during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, which took place at the White House.

"You’re asking whether or not they (Ukrainians) could take back the land that they lost. And I say that yes, perhaps some of it, yes. But that’s not an easy thing to do,” Trump said.

He also noted that this question is part of the current negotiations that have recently started.

“We’ll see,” Trump said. “There has been a lot of land that has been taken, so we will have to see how it works out. It’s part of the negotiation.”

The U.S. held the first round of talks directly with Russia on Feb. 18, excluding Ukraine from the meeting. The decision sparked a backlash in Europe and Ukraine, with European leaders worried they were being sidelined by the U.S.

Macron has recently rallied European counterparts to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Washington later this week to meet with Trump.

‘Peace must not mean a surrender of Ukraine,’ Macron says following Trump visit
French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 24 called for a long-lasting peace in Ukraine that would not mean a “surrender of Ukraine.”

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11:51 PM

Trump 'very surprised, disappointed' at Russian attacks on Ukraine amid peace talks.

"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office. "All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way."
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