WASHINGTON 

US President Donald Trump deflected Thursday when asked what Russia should have to give up in peace talks with Ukraine that are slated to begin next week in Saudi Arabia.

Just hours earlier, Trump announced that senior official-level talks will be held in Saudi Arabia next week with representatives from the US, Ukraine and Russia in attendance. He said during a follow-up press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he believes Russia wishes it had not started the war in 2022 and continued to say that he believes it would not have if he won the 2020 election.

"Russia has gotten themselves into something that I think they wish they didn't. If I were president, it would not have happened, absolutely would not have happened, and it didn't happen for four years," he said in reference to his first term in office.

"As far as the negotiation, it is too early to say what's going to happen. Maybe Russia will give up a lot. Maybe they won't, and it's all dependent on what is going to happen. The negotiation really hasn't started. But I will say, as far as NATO is concerned, from many years before (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin, I will tell you that I've heard that Russia would never accept that, and I think Ukraine knew that because Ukraine wasn't in and never requested to be in until more recently," he added.

Trump has previously said he believes Ukraine must concede some of its territory to Russia as part of its deal and must give up on its aspirations to become a full member of NATO.

The remarks have rattled Ukraine, as well as close US allies in Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy further questioned why Europe is not being included in the peace talks.

“In Europe, there is a serious concern that they still do not see signals from the US that they have a place at the table. That is, everyone understands that America, Ukraine and Russia can have such a format for negotiations, but where is Europe?” he said Wednesday.

“We need allies and fair partners at a time when we will end the hot stage of this war,” he said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday called for a firm and united European response to ongoing US-Russia discussions on ending the war in Ukraine, warning that any dictated peace would be unacceptable.

"These events and proposals require a clear, rapid and decisive position from Europe—not at some point in the future, but now," he said.

"No one longs for peace more than Ukraine," he said, but he cautioned that a Russian victory or a Ukrainian collapse would not guarantee stability. Instead, he argued, it would pose a greater danger to European security.