Trump rules out US troops in Ukraine, hints at possible air support
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A volunteer who aspires to join the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attends basic training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, January 9, 2024. — Reuters
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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday refused to send US troops to Ukraine, but said Washington could offer air support as part of a possible end to the war with Russia.
One day after Trump promised security guarantees to help end the war at an unusual White House summit, the path to peace remained uncertain as the United States and allies prepared to do what military support for Ukraine could be involved.
“When it comes to security, (European) is ready to put people on the ground,” Trump said in an interview to the Fox News “Fox and Friends” program.
After the Monday meeting, Russia launched its largest air strike on Ukraine in more than a month, and Trump acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably did not want to make a deal. “We’re going to know about President Putin in the next two weeks,” he said.
Under the peace deal, the nature of US military aid to Ukraine was not clear. Air support can take many forms, such as missile defense systems or fighter jets that implement the fly zone.
The White House press secretary Crown Levyt confirmed that the US air support was “an option and a possibility”, but, like Trump, did not provide any details.
“The president has definitely said that US shoes will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can definitely help in harmony and may provide other sources of security guarantees to our European allies,” he said in a news briefing.
More than a million people were killed or injured in the conflict, which began in February 2022, with a full -fledged Russian attack, analysts say.
Cum was a meeting
Ukrainian President Wolodmeer Zelannsky praised the White House talks for ending Europe’s most deadly conflict in 80 years and setting up a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump as a “big step”. Zilnsky’s hot sanctions with Trump, in February, did the opposite to his devastating Oval Office meeting.
A White House official said that Trump discussed Budapest with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor and Ben on Tuesday as the site of the summit of Zilnski and Putin.
A senior administration of the administration said that Istanbul, where the two countries had met before the delegation, were also mentioned.
Hungary is one of the few European places where Putin can go without fear of arresting the international criminal court because Arbon maintains close ties with the Russian leader. It was unclear whether Ukraine would accept Hungary as a venue.
Neutral Switzerland also said it would be ready to host Putin for any peace talks.
Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles in an attack on Ukraine overnight on Ukraine, Ukraine Air Force said. The Ministry of Energy said the strikes set fire to energy facilities in the Central Polatawa area, which is the only oil refinery in Ukraine.
However, Russia also returned the bodies of 1,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers on Tuesday. According to the official -run TASS News Agency, Moscow has received 19 bodies of its own soldiers in return.
On Tuesday, the so -called coalition of Ukrainian allies was held in a coalition, which discussed additional sanctions to pressure Russia. The grouping has also agreed that the planning teams will meet US counterparts in the coming days to prepare security guarantees for Ukraine.
Authorities told Reuters that NATO military leaders are expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine, with US General Dan Kane, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
‘Tapping around Trump’
Although Trump had said on Monday that Putin had demanded a bilateral meeting with Zilinski, the Kremlin had made no clear commitment. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow did not reject any form for Ukraine peace talks, but a meeting of any leaders “should be fully prepared”.
Putin has said that Russia will not tolerate troops from the NATO alliance in Ukraine. After a summit with Trump on Friday in Alaska, he has not shown any sign of withdrawal from the demands of the region, including the land under Russia’s military control after the summit with Trump.
Russia is trying to overcome US pressure with peace talks, said Neil Melvin, the director of International Security, at the Royal United Services Institute’s think tank at the think tank.
On the one hand, both Ukraine and its European allies, and Russia, on the other hand, “were trying to” do not present themselves to Trump as a hindrance to their peace process, “Melon said. “
“They are giving all the indications around Trump” to avoid any allegations, adding that Trump’s statements about security guarantees were “so ambiguous that it was very difficult to take it seriously,” he said.
