WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – A day after President Donald Trump’s historic meeting in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House is making it clear that once a peace deal is in place to end the war in Ukraine, there will be no American boots on the ground in Russia or Ukraine.
As part of any peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are seeking security guarantees from the U.S.; aimed at preventing Russia from another Ukraine invasion.
The President on Tuesday ruled out the positioning of any U.S. troops on Ukrainian soil as part of a post-peace deal security force.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the decision,
“The president has definitively stated, U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that security guarantees are a necessary component to any peace deal.
“The president understands security guarantees are crucially important to ensure a lasting peace, and he has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and also to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well.”
But Leavitt did not rule out a U.S. air presence as a form of security to maintain the peace.
“It is an option and a possibility. I won’t certainly rule out anything as far as military options that the president has at his disposal. I’ll let him do that. I can tell you he’s definitively ruled out boots on the ground.”
As for the timing and location of a possible Putin-Zelensky peace summit, Leavitt provided few details. But the President in the past 24 hours has suggested that such a meeting should take place soon. The two leaders last met face-to-face in 2019.
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