One day after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the White House, President Donald Trump ruled out deploying U.S. ground troops in Ukraine.
The issue arose during discussions of potential security guarantees aimed at reaching a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
At Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that while the president has ruled out boots on the ground, he may be open to the possibility of U.S. air support.
"It is an option and a possibility. I certainly won't rule out anything as far as military options that the president has at his disposal," Leavitt said. "I'll let him do that."
Leavitt added that Trump directed his team to develop a framework for the security guarantees.
Separately, Zelenskyy described the Washington meeting as “significant” and signaled a willingness to engage in a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump had met with Putin on Friday and spoke with him again following Monday’s discussions.
The Kremlin has not confirmed whether Putin will sit down with Zelenskyy, though Leavitt indicated that Putin agreed to the bilateral meeting, followed by a trilateral meeting with President Trump.
The U.S. would have a role in planning the meetings, if they take place. But the specifics, like when and where they would take place, are still to be determined.
