As Europe braces for President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, questions loom over its impact on the war in Ukraine and NATO’s future. Nearly

If Ukraine falls, it will be hard to spin as anything but a debacle for the United States, and for its president.

President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he sympathized with the Russian position that Ukraine should not be part of NATO, and he lamented that he will not meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before his inauguration.

While Ukraine’s acceptance into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) appears unattainable, armed neutrality may be the country’s next best option to protect against future Russian aggression.

Lago on Tuesday, president-elect Donald Trump marked the starting shot in what could be a make-or-break test for NATO over Ukraine, Greenland, and defence spending.

US President-elect Donald Trump has said he can "understand the Russians' feelings" about Joe Biden allegedly breaking a "deal" to deny Ukraine NATO membership. Source: Trump at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on 7 January,

His statement echoes controversy caused by Trump's suggestion that Russia’s invasion was provoked by Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO. US President-elect has recently stated that he "understands" Russia’s concerns over Ukraine’s NATO bid and blamed the Biden administration for escalating the conflict.

Russia's advances in Ukraine over the past week plummeted to levels last seen in July, according to an analysis by an independent investigative Russian news outlet. Newsweek has contacted the Russian government for comment via email.