President Donald Trump on Tuesday assured that U.S. troops would not be sent to help defend Ukraine against Russia, clarifying remarks he made a day earlier that appeared to leave the option open.
In a morning interview, Trump also said Ukraine’s goals of joining NATO and reclaiming the Crimean Peninsula from Russia are “impossible.”
On Monday, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House for hours of talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. During a press conference afterward, he did not rule out the possibility of U.S. forces participating in a European-led security mission requested by Zelenskyy.
Trump said last week, following his meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that Putin was open to discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine.
Asked Tuesday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” what assurances he could provide about American troops not being deployed to Ukraine, Trump replied, “Well, you have my assurance, and I’m president.” His authority over the U.S. military ends in January 2029.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later emphasized that “U.S. boots will not be on the ground” in any potential peacekeeping mission.
Trump also expressed optimism about a deal to end the conflict but said Ukraine must give up its hopes of regaining Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, as well as its ambitions to join NATO. “Both of those things are impossible,” he said.
As part of conditions for a possible withdrawal of Russian forces, Putin is seeking recognition of Crimea as Russian territory and the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Trump said on Monday he was working to arrange direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy. However, the Kremlin has not confirmed whether Putin, who has resisted prior calls for direct negotiations, is prepared to meet the Ukrainian leader.
When asked if Putin had promised Trump a meeting with Zelenskyy, Leavitt responded, “He has.” She explained that Trump initially pressed for three-way talks among himself, Zelenskyy, and Putin, but after further discussions with Putin, the plan shifted to a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents first.
“It was an idea that evolved in the course of the president’s conversations with both President Putin, President Zelensky and the European leaders yesterday,” Leavitt said.
Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, gave no indication that an agreement on bilateral or trilateral talks had been reached.
Trump said he believes Putin’s intentions will become clear soon. “I think Putin is tired of it,” Trump said. “I think they’re all tired of it. But you never know. We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks. That I can tell you.”
