President Trump doubled down Thursday on his opposition to Ukraine joining the NATO military alliance as he prepares to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.

“Look,” Mr. Trump said, “it’s not going to happen. … I could be very nice and say, ’Oh, well, we’ll look into it.’ It’s just not going to happen.”

Mr. Trump’s remarks came during an Oval Office meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Mr. Zelenskyy, who will visit with Mr. Trump and sign a rare earth mineral deal, has long sought membership in NATO for his country. This month the Ukrainian leader said he would go so far as to leave office in exchange for peace or NATO membership.

Russia has long opposed NATO membership for Ukraine, fearing it would bring the military alliance to its doorstep. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Mr. Zelenskyy asked if membership in NATO could be fast-tracked.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.