US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out sending American ground troops to Ukraine but left open the possibility of providing air support as part of a broader effort to secure a peace deal with Russia.
His comments came a day after an extraordinary White House summit, where Trump pledged security guarantees to Kyiv as part of a plan to end the war. Still, the path to peace remains unclear, with the United States and its allies now considering what military support could look like under such an arrangement.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump emphasized that Washington would not deploy troops but might play a role in the skies. “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,” he said, without elaborating further.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that air support remained “an option and a possibility,” reiterating that American boots would not be on the ground in Ukraine. Analysts suggested such support could take different forms, including missile defense systems or even fighter jets enforcing a no-fly zone.
The uncertainty comes as Russia intensified its assault on Ukraine, launching its largest airstrike in over a month. Ukraine’s air force reported 270 drones and 10 missiles were used overnight, sparking massive fires at energy sites in the Poltava region, which houses the country’s only oil refinery. At the same time, Moscow returned the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, while Kyiv handed back 19 Russian bodies.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the White House talks as a “major step forward” in ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Plans are now under discussion for a potential trilateral meeting involving Trump, Zelenskiy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Budapest, supported by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has been floated as a possible venue, though Ukraine may resist given Orban’s close ties to Moscow. Other options include Istanbul, where previous talks took place, and neutral Switzerland, which has also offered to host.
Despite these developments, doubts persist about Putin’s intentions. Trump admitted that the Russian leader might resist compromise, saying, “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks.”
Experts warn Moscow could use drawn-out negotiations to stall while maintaining territorial demands. Neil Melvin of the Royal United Services Institute noted that all sides appear cautious, “tiptoeing around Trump” to avoid blame for obstructing his peace process. Still, with over a million people killed or wounded since the invasion began in 2022, the urgency for a credible resolution has never been greater.
