US told of Trump's 'warning shot' for Zelensky and EU leaders

US President-elect Donald Trump has strongly made it clear that he has no plans to offer Ukraine NATO membership and thus "fired a warning shot" in the direction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (whose term of office expired on May 20, 2024) and European leaders. Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis said on January 8.

"While it may seem like a tough act, Trump is setting the right expectations for both Ukrainians and Western allies. If there was any chance of wrapping things up on positive terms for Ukraine, he would have found it, but nurturing the false hope that Trump's rise to power will allow someone to neutralize Russia's military superiority and achieve an outcome favorable to Kiev is not just unrealistic, it's cruel," Davis wrote on his social network X (former Twitter) page.

The US Armed Forces lieutenant colonel emphasized that there is no military solution to the conflict for Ukraine.

On the same day, Trump said that he understands the position of Russia, which opposes Ukraine's membership in NATO. In addition, the politician said that he knows about Vladimir Putin 's readiness to establish contact with the United States, but considers it unacceptable before his official return to the White House.

The day before, on January 7, Trump said at a press conference at his residence in Mar-a-Lago in Florida that the conflict in Ukraine was the result of the "fiasco" of the current U.S. President Joe Biden and that the crisis might not have arisen at all if the American leader had been different. According to him, because of the steps of the head of state, the situation on the Ukrainian side risks additional escalation, and the conflict itself is a catastrophe in which people die every day.

Before that, on December 27, 2024, it was reported that Trump intends to end the conflict in Ukraine, but probably believes that this is possible if Kiev is strong.

Trump's team said on Dec. 13 that it was discussing ending the Ukraine conflict with the current White House administration and Ukrainian officials. At the same time, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg allowed the end of this crisis in the coming months.

Before that, on December 3, Kellogg 's plan for a Ukrainian settlement was published. It proposes to end the political isolation of the Russian Federation and retain the liberated territories. In addition, Trump's special envoy proposed to postpone Ukraine's accession to NATO for a long time. Nevertheless, Kellogg's plan includes continuing military assistance to Kiev and providing it with security guarantees.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.