Key Points and Summary – President Donald Trump has reversed his stance on the role of the U.S. military in a potential Ukraine peace deal, confirming he will not send American soldiers as peacekeepers.
-In a Tuesday interview, Trump gave his “assurance” of “no boots on the ground,” walking back comments from Monday where he refused to rule out the possibility.
-He clarified that while the U.S. will be involved in security guarantees, its support for European-led peacekeeping forces will primarily be “by air.”
-The clarification comes as diplomatic momentum builds for a face-to-face meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
Trump Walks Back U.S. “Peacekeeping” Rumors
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he will not send American soldiers to Ukraine after a peace deal with Russia is agreed, effectively walking back a prior suggestion he would be willing to deploy soldiers for peacekeeping purposes.
Speaking to Fox News, the president offered an “assurance” that he would not put U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine.
However, the president did confirm that his administration and military would be “involved” in security guarantees for Ukraine following the war.
“When it comes to security, they’re willing to put people on the ground,” Trump said, referring to European partners already committed to sending peacekeeping troops. “We’re willing to help them with things, especially probably…by air because there’s nobody that has the kind of stuff we have.”
A Change in Direction on Ukraine?
The comments come less than 24 hours after Trump refused to rule out sending American soldiers to enforce a possible peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
Speaking to reporters alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump refused to rule out the possibility of sending troops. When asked by reporters whether he would send troops, Trump simply said, “we’ll be involved.”
Monday’s meeting with Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Washington has not yet produced a deal, though sufficient progress appears to have been made to warrant a meeting between the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine in the near future.
Trump also said that discussions were squarely focused on a lasting peace deal and not a temporary ceasefire, which he acknowledged could be beneficial to one side or the other depending on the conditions of such a proposal.
Trump confirmed the Zelenskyy-Putin meeting is currently being planned, while the Ukrainian president confirmed that a suite of security guarantees for Ukraine – which do not include NATO admission – are currently being worked out and could be “formalized on paper within the next week to 10 days.”
Russia Would Not Like It
Russia has previously rejected the possibility of NATO countries sending peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire deal, arguing that such a move would constitute an “uncontrollable escalation.”
Moscow’s rejection, however, was issued in response to the possibility of sending peacekeeping troops before a full peace deal has been agreed – and if Washington is making the kind of progress Trump says it is, the Kremlin may soon have no reason to reject the presence of European troops in Ukraine.
Whether those security guarantees can move forward now depends largely on Moscow’s willingness to accept them—a concession that may prove the most difficult and unpredictable part of the process.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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