US President Donald Trump clarified on Tuesday that he would not send American soldiers to Ukraine as part of peace negotiations after speculation arose at Monday’s Washington summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky and European partners that US troops could be part of a peacekeeping task force.
“You have my assurance,” Trump said in response to a question on Fox News about whether he could guarantee that US boots would not be on the ground.
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“You know, I’m president, and I’m just trying to stop people from being killed,” he told the hosts of Fox and Friends.
Trump said Kyiv’s European partners, namely France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, would most likely “front-load” Ukraine’s security and be the countries committing troops to maintaining peace.
“When it comes to security, [the EU is] willing to put people on the ground,” he said.
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While Europe will spearhead Ukraine’s security, Trump said any guarantees “could not” include NATO membership.
“There will be some form of security – it can’t be NATO,” Trump said. “Because that’s not something that would happen, he couldn’t, they couldn’t do that.”
The US may provide Ukraine and its allies with other forms of security guarantees, the US president added, including air support.
Ukraine has called on the West to close the skies over the country to stop Russia from attacking civilians since the full-scale invasion began.
“We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably by air,” Trump said. “Because nobody has the kind of stuff we have.”
Trump said Russia has agreed to accept security guarantees for Ukraine during a televised meeting on Monday with Zelensky and several European partners at the White House after holding one-on-one meetings with Zelensky the same day and Russian leader Vladimir Putin last week.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Finnish PM Alexander Stubb attended the unprecedented historic gathering in Washington on Monday.
“Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine, and this is one of the key points that we need to consider,” Trump said.
“I’m optimistic that we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine.”
“And I actually think there won’t be,” he added. “It’s largely overrated, but we’re going to find out.”
Security guarantees have been one of Kyiv’s requirements for peace since peace negotiations began, but the White House has regularly questioned the need for guarantees if Ukraine has US support.
Territorial concessions by Kyiv in exchange for peace from Russia are an option, Trump said.
“We also need to discuss the possible exchange of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact.”
But a ceasefire was no longer a top consideration, the US president said.
“All of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace,” Trump said. “Maybe something like that could happen, but as of this moment, it’s not happening.”
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