US President Donald Trump has said that Ukraine is likely to remain a free and independent country once the war ends, though he suggested its territory could take on what he called a "little bit different shape", a remark widely seen as hinting at possible border changes under a future peace agreement.
Trump made the comment during an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes programme, in response to a journalist's question about whether he expects the conflict to ultimately "work out with a free and independent Ukraine". The exchange touched on both the end of the war and the preservation of Ukrainian statehood.
"I think we're gonna have it done, and I think it's gonna happen and they're gonna end up with a little bit different shape Ukraine," Trump said.
Earlier in the same interview, Trump repeated his claim that former US president Joe Biden had given Ukraine US$350 billion in cash and weapons. He contrasted that record with his own, saying he had given Ukraine nothing and had instead sold weapons to European countries at full price.
Trump expressed regret over what he described as money wasted by Biden. In his view, the United States had supplied Ukraine with an enormous quantity of weapons, including "the best weapons on earth", yet had received nothing in return.
The journalist pushed back on that assessment, pointing out that the Americans had gained Ukrainian independence in return. Trump disagreed with the premise, saying that outcome had not been secured.
"You haven't gotten anything yet. Let's see how it all works out," Trump said, in what appeared to be a reference to the result of peace negotiations and the eventual end of the war.
The journalist then asked Trump directly whether he envisaged Ukraine's future as a free and independent country, prompting his remark about the country's shape.
At the end of his answer, Trump once again repeated his long-standing claim that "that war would have never started" if he had been president at the time.
Trump's comments come as discussions continue over how the war might be brought to an end, and as questions persist about what territory and security arrangements a settlement would involve.
