Trump Promises No U.S. Boots On the Ground in Ukraine

President Donald Trump has said that no U.S. troops will be deployed in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. When asked in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday what assurances he could give that there would be no “American boots on the ground” to defend the Ukrainian border with Russia, even beyond his presidency, Trump replied: “You have my assurance, and I’m president. ” The President had previously not ruled out the possibility of U.S. personnel being deployed in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force should a deal be reached between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Read more: How Putin Brushed Off Trump’s Latest Push for Peace in Ukraine The prospect of U.S. military support had become a possibility again in recent days as Trump has pressed both Ukraine and Russia to reach a deal. “I’m just trying to stop people from being killed… they’re losing 5-7,000 people a week in that ridiculous war,” Trump continued, without specifying if these figures referred to Ukraine, Russia, or both. The President added that he called Putin later on Monday after meeting with several European leaders to discuss a possible meeting between the Russian President and Zelensky, saying that should the meeting go well, he would step in to “wrap it up.” “It takes two to tango, they have to have somewhat of a relationship, otherwise we’re just wasting time,” said Trump. The Kremlin issued a statement following Trump’s call with Putin, saying: “the parties discussed the idea of considering the possibility of increasing the level of both countries’ delegations involved in the direct talks.” Moscow’s response has been seen as Russia playing for time to continue its invasion of Ukraine, as Putin seemingly brushed off Trump’s proposal for confirming a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Trump sat down with Zelensky on Monday ahead of a meeting with several European leaders, saying that “When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help… they are the first line of defense,” the President said in reference to the European allies he later met with. On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it rejects “any scenarios involving the deployment of NATO military contingents in Ukraine,” directly criticizing the United Kingdom and “certain European Nations” for suggesting such peace-keeping forces. The U.K. and others have previously committed to sending troops to Ukraine should it be necessary as part of a peace deal. On Tuesday British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that meetings on Monday resulted in breakthroughs for security guarantees without directly mentioning any sort of peace-keeping force.