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

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.