US President Donald Trump has floated the idea that Ukraine “may be Russian someday”, as his Vice-President JD Vance gears up to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later this week on the sidelines of the Munich security conference. Pushing for an end to the nearly three-year war with Russia, Trump discussed the conflict in an interview with broadcaster Fox News that was aired on Monday.

“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday,” he said. Trump also emphasised reaping a return on investment with US aid to Ukraine. “We are going to have all this money in there, and I say I want it back. And I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500bn worth of rare earth,” Trump said. “And they have essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid.”

Trump also confirmed on Monday that he will soon dispatch to Ukraine his special envoy Keith Kellogg, who is tasked with drawing up a proposal to halt the fighting. Trump is pressing for a swift end to the conflict, while Zelenskyy is calling for tough security guarantees from Washington as part of any deal with Russia.

Kyiv fears that any settlement that does not include hard military commitments – such as Nato membership or the deployment of peacekeeping troops – will just allow the Kremlin time to regroup and rearm for a fresh attack. Zelenskyy called on Monday for “real peace and effective security guarantees” for Ukraine. “Security of people, security of our state, security of economic relations and, of course, our resource sustainability: not only for Ukraine, but for the entire free world,” he said. “All of this is being decided now,” Zelenskyy added in a video address published on social media.