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.

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,

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.