Crimea to stay with Russia after Ukrainian conflict ends - Trump

WASHINGTON. April 25 (Interfax) - Crimea will stay with Russia after the Ukrainian conflict ends, U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Time magazine.

"We have to only talk about Crimea because that's the one that always gets mentioned. Crimea will stay with Russia," Trump said.

"And Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it's been with them for a long time," he said.

Ukraine does not stand a chance of joining NATO, while the membership issue has caused the conflict, Trump told Time magazine.

"I don't think they'll ever be able to join NATO [...] I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO," Trump said in response to a question whether there is hope for Ukraine's entry into NATO.

If Ukraine's entry into the alliance had not been made a subject of discussion, then perhaps there would have been a greater chance of avoiding the conflict in Ukraine, he said.

U.S.-Russian talks are limited to settling the Ukrainian conflict for now, Trump said.

"No," Trump said in response to a question whether he was discussing any issues other than Ukraine with the Russian administration.

"But if a deal has happened, I can see us doing business with Ukraine and with Russia as a country," he said.