President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out deploying U.S. ground forces in Ukraine but said Washington could provide air support as part of security guarantees linked to a future peace deal with Russia.
“In terms of security, they are willing to put people on the ground,” Trump said in a Tuesday morning interview with Fox & Friends referring to Europe. “We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably, if you talk about by air because nobody has stuff we have.”
Trump did not elaborate further. Possible air support could range from missile defense operations and air policing missions to fighter jets enforcing a no-fly zone.
The idea of air support for Ukraine is not new. Early in the war, Kyiv asked NATO to impose a “no-fly zone” over its airspace, but the request was quickly rejected over fears it could lead to direct clashes between NATO and Russian forces.
Trump’s comments came after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where he pledged that Washington would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal to end the war.
At Tuesday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had directed his national security team to draft a framework for guarantees that could “help ensure a lasting peace.” She confirmed that U.S. troops would not be sent on the ground and that air support remains “an option and a possibility.”
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine proposed purchasing U.S. weapons worth $90 billion as part of its security guarantees.
Commenting on the security guarantees, Zelenskyy emphasized that the first element should be a strong Ukrainian army, followed by a package of American weapons.
“There is indeed a package with our proposals for $90 billion,” Zelensky said. “This is the second part of the security guarantees for us. The third part is our drone production.”
Earlier reports from the Financial Times stated that Kyiv had initially proposed buying $100 billion worth of American weapons, to be financed by European partners.
