US rules out putting troops in Ukraine on ground; may give air support

Trump's remark comes a day after he pledged security guarantees to Ukraine at the White House during a meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven European leaders

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said he has ruled out deploying American troops on the ground in Ukraine but indicated the US could provide air support to Kyiv to help end Russia’s war, Reuters reported.

 

His remark came a day after he pledged security guarantees to Ukraine during talks at the White House with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven European leaders. 

 

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said, “When it comes to security, (Europeans) are willing to put people on the ground. We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably … by air.”

 

Nature of aid still unclear

 

The Reuters report noted that the form of US military aid under a peace deal remained unclear. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that air support was “an option and a possibility” but reiterated that “US boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine".

 

She added that Washington could help with coordination and “provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies". 

 

Russia attacks Ukraine

 

Hours after Trump met Zelenskyy and held talks with European leaders, Moscow launched its biggest air assault on Kyiv in more than a month. Ukraine’s air force said Russia deployed 270 drones and 10 missiles.

 

The Ukrainian energy ministry reported that the strikes caused fires at energy facilities in the central Poltava region, home to the country’s only oil refinery.

 

A day after Trump said he was arranging a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy, he conceded that Putin “might not want to make a deal.” He added, “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks.” 

 

Zelenskyy hails ‘major step’

 

Zelenskyy welcomed his White House talks with Trump, calling the meeting a “major step forward.” He said he was prepared for “any format” of talks with Putin, including a trilateral summit. 

 

Trilateral summit options

 

A White House official told Reuters that Budapest was discussed as a possible venue for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. Istanbul, where the two countries have previously held talks, and locations in Hungary and Switzerland were also under consideration.

 

Trump’s role uncertain

 

In a separate interview, Trump said he was unsure if he would personally attend a trilateral summit, adding, “Now I think it would be better if they met without me. … If necessary, I’ll go.”