Trump Says U.S. May Provide Air Support for Ukraine, Rules Out Troops
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington may provide air support to back a possible peace agreement in Ukraine but ruled out deploying American troops.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Reuters.
“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,” Trump said in an interview.
The scope of potential U.S. military aid to Ukraine under a peace agreement remains undefined. Air support could involve a range of measures, from supplying missile defense systems to deploying fighter jets for a no-fly zone.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that U.S. air support is “a possibility,” but, like Trump, offered no further specifics.
The comments came a day after an extraordinary White House summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, where Trump pledged security guarantees for Kyiv.
Hours later, Russia launched its largest air assault in more than a month, firing 270 drones and 10 missiles.
Trump acknowledged Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be ready to negotiate, saying, “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks.”
Still, he has encouraged a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, suggesting venues including Budapest, Istanbul, or neutral Switzerland.
According to Axios, as part of the security package under discussion, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been tapped to head a new U.S.-European-Ukrainian commission tasked with drafting guarantees for Kyiv.
Officials say the framework could include U.S. air support but will not extend to NATO membership.
As The Gaze reported earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that a coalition of 30 nations has been working for several months on a framework of security guarantees for Ukraine.