US President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine “may be Russian someday,” throwing into question the future independence of a sovereign country that, with Western backing, has defended itself against Moscow’s full-scale invasion for nearly three years.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said they are ready to offer Russia a straightforward land exchange in a bid to end the three-year war between the two countries. However, this will only be possible if US President Donald Trump can bring both nations to the negotiating table.