President Donald Trump has ruled out deploying US troops to Ukraine but suggested expanding American air support as Western allies begin outlining potential security guarantees for Ukraine ahead of a possible peace summit with Russia, reports RTE.
In a wave of diplomatic activity aimed at ending the conflict, Mr Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European leaders at the White House yesterday—just days after his high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Trump revealed that during last night’s talks, he called Putin, who agreed in principle to meet Zelensky and consider some type of Western-backed security assurances for Ukraine—though the response from Kyiv and Europe has been one of deep caution, reports RTE.
According to three sources familiar with the call, Putin suggested Moscow as the venue for the summit with Zelensky. One source said Zelensky immediately rejected the idea of holding talks in the Russian capital.
A vocal critic of the extensive US financial aid to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, Trump said European countries would take the lead by putting boots on the ground to secure any future agreement—a concept previously floated by France and the UK, reports RTE.
“When it comes to security, they’re willing to put people on the ground,” Trump said during a Fox News interview.
“We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably, if you talk about by air, because no one has the kind of stuff we have. Really, they don’t,” he added, reports RTE.
Trump gave a firm assurance that no American ground forces would be sent to Ukraine and once again stated definitively that Ukraine would not be permitted to join NATO.
He reiterated his belief—shared with Mr Putin—that Kyiv’s ambitions to join the Western military alliance were a key trigger for the war, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, reports RTE.
However, European leaders, Ukraine, and former President Joe Biden have dismissed that argument as a smokescreen, pointing instead to Putin’s repeated denials of Ukraine’s sovereignty and statehood.
Following the White House talks, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer convened a virtual meeting with around 30 countries that make up the pro-Ukraine “Coalition of the Willing.”
A spokesperson for Downing Street said that Mr Starmer informed participants that coalition teams and American officials would meet in the coming days to plan security guarantees and potentially “prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended,” reports RTE.
The leaders also explored “how further pressure – including through sanctions – could be placed on Putin until he showed he was ready to take serious action to end his illegal invasion.”
President Macron, speaking before his departure from Washington, echoed calls for further sanctions if Russia does not demonstrate a commitment to peace, reports RTE.
Meanwhile, Admiral Tony Radakin, the UK’s top military officer, is heading to Washington for further discussions about possible security guarantees.
Officials confirmed that the military chiefs from all 32 NATO member states will convene via video link tomorrow to address the ongoing situation in Ukraine.
Russia, for its part, has made clear that any resolution must also serve its own national interests, reports RTE.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the state broadcaster Rossiya 24 that any potential agreement must include protections for “Russian-speaking people who live in Ukraine”—a long-standing justification offered by Moscow for launching the 2022 invasion.
Moscow has been floated as a potential summit location, though many consider this a provocative proposal that would be seen as a capitulation by Ukraine, reports RTE.
Speaking to French news network LCI, President Macron said he preferred the talks be held in Geneva—a city long associated with international peace efforts.
Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis stated that his country would consider offering legal immunity to President Putin, who currently faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, reports RTE.
Both Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have indicated the summit could happen within the next two weeks.
While Trump appears interested in organizing a trilateral summit involving himself, Macron has advocated for a four-party format to ensure key European voices are represented in Ukraine’s future security arrangements, reports RTE.
In Kyiv, reactions to the flurry of diplomacy were mixed, with doubts lingering over whether it would actually end the conflict.
“The main problem is Putin himself doesn’t want it,” said Anton, 32, a warehouse worker. “They can meet as many times as they want but Putin doesn’t need it and Donald Trump doesn’t really know what to do,” reports RTE.
In contrast, the mood in Moscow was more hopeful. “I hope we can agree on mutually beneficial terms,” said Vyacheslav, 23, a government employee, reports RTE.
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