Washington, Feb. 27 -- US President Donald Trump stated that Russia will have to make "concessions" in negotiations with Ukraine but asserted that Ukraine "can forget" about joining NATO.

Speaking to reporters before his first cabinet meeting on Wednesday (local time), Trump said the US would "try very hard" to negotiate a deal ensuring Ukraine regains as much as possible.

When asked whether Russia retaining occupied territories would send a dangerous message, Trump responded, "You try and take it away, right? We're going to do the best we can. We're going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides. But for Ukraine, we're going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much back as possible. We ...