President Trump has stated that European nations are prepared to send troops to strengthen Ukraine’s security, but the United States would offer support “by air.” Speaking on the Fox & Friends program, Trump said, “We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably if you talk about by air, because there’s nobody that has the kind of stuff we have.” He added, “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that US troops would not be part of any peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv. Instead, Washington would assist with “coordination” and “perhaps provide other means of security guarantees.”
Trump’s remarks followed his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top European leaders at the White House, part of his latest effort to end the three-and-a-half-year-long conflict. While Zelenskyy and European leaders described the Monday meeting as productive, the issue of ensuring Ukraine’s post-war security remains a significant point of contention in the peace negotiations.
Although Trump has suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might agree to the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine to uphold a peace deal, Moscow has consistently rejected this idea. Russia and Ukraine also appear to be far from reaching an agreement on territorial concessions and implementing a ceasefire before a comprehensive peace deal is finalized.
On Tuesday, Trump elaborated on his plans for a bilateral summit between Putin and Zelenskyy, telling conservative radio host Mark Levin that “they’re in the process of setting it up.” While Zelenskyy has expressed his readiness to meet Putin, Moscow has not yet confirmed whether the Russian leader will attend a summit.
On Tuesday, Switzerland’s foreign affairs minister, Ignazio Cassis, stated that his country would be willing to host a Putin-Zelenskyy summit, despite the International Criminal Court’s existing arrest warrant for the Russian leader. Following Monday’s White House talks, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was advocating for Geneva as the location for a summit between the two leaders.
