Trump offers ‘assurance' US troops won't be sent to Ukraine
When asked in a television interview on Fox on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) about any 'assurances' he could make that there would be no US 'boots on the ground,' Trump replied: 'Well, you have my assurance, and I'm president.'
The president also said in the interview that he is optimistic that a deal can be reached to end the Russian invasion, but he underscored that Ukraine will have to set aside its hope of getting back Crimea, which was seized by Russian forces in 2014, and its long-held aspirations of joining the NATO military alliance.
'Both of those things are impossible,' Trump said.
Putin, as part of any potential deal to pull his forces out of Ukraine, is looking for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.
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The Republican president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders held hours of talks at the White House on Monday aimed at bringing an end to Russia's war against Ukraine.
The meeting, from which Trump broke off near the end to call the Russian president, ended with promises of a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky, and renewed discussion of a US-backed security guarantee for Ukraine.
NATO military leaders are expected to meet on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) to discuss Ukraine and the way forward, US and NATO officials said on Tuesday, as Washington and European capitals work out details of what security guarantees might look like for Kyiv.
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SBS Australia
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- SBS Australia
The countries that could host a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin
United States President Donald Trump's ambitions to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine have been hailed as a "major step forward" after a historic meeting with European leaders. As fighting continues, multiple countries have offered to host a peace summit between Russia and Ukraine, even offering Russian President Vladimir Putin immunity from the International Criminal Court (ICC) charges he faces. While face-to-face negotiations between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could be a significant milestone, details on such a meeting remain vague, and Russia has not officially committed. Trump has said he is looking to plan a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, followed by a trilateral summit that he would also attend. The US president said on Tuesday that Putin and Zelenskyy were "in the process of setting up" a meeting to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Where could a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting be held? Several countries have been put forth as possible venues for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, including Switzerland and Austria. Both countries have said they would be willing to allow Putin to travel there for peace talks, despite there being an arrest warrant for the Russian president by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Putin is wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes, with the Russian president accused of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. Russia denies the charge. Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis told a press conference that Putin would be allowed into Switzerland for the purposes of a peace conference, but not for private reasons. Cassis said Switzerland was prepared to host a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, emphasising the neutral country's suitability. French President Emmanuel Macron is also pushing for the Swiss city of Geneva to host the talks. French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested Geneva in Switzerland as a location for talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. Source: AAP / Pool / CNP / Sipa USA /Aaron Schwartz Austria, meanwhile, has offered its capital, Vienna, as a location, saying it would contact the ICC "to make it possible" for Putin to attend. "Our capital has a long tradition as a place of dialogue," he said in a statement, referencing Vienna hosting several international organisations. Other options that have been suggested include countries where the ICC warrant wouldn't matter. A White House official said Trump had discussed Hungary's capital, Budapest, as a venue with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Tuesday. Istanbul in Türkiye, where delegations for the two countries most recently took place, has also been mentioned, a senior administration official said. Hungary is one of the few European places that Putin could visit without fear of arrest on ICC charges. Orbán maintains close ties with Putin. Last year, the Hungarian prime minister said his country would withdraw from the ICC as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whom the ICC issued an arrest warrant for in November — visited the country. Netanyahu also faces accusations that he is responsible for war crimes relating to the war in Gaza. Israel has rejected the accusations, saying they're fuelled by antisemitism. Türkiye is not an ICC member. Agence France-Presse reported Putin proposed holding a summit with Zelenskyy in Moscow, according to three sources familiar with a call between Trump and the Russian leader. One source said Zelenskyy immediately said no to meeting in the capital of his country's invader. Albanese speaks with 'coalition of the willing' Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined a call with Ukrainian allies overnight, welcoming "ongoing efforts" towards an enduring peace. Albanese joined a call with some of Ukraine's allies — the "coalition of the willing" — to discuss additional sanctions against Russia. "Australia continues to stand with Ukraine," Albanese wrote on X. The call was hosted by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and attended by other world leaders, some of whom also attended White House talks with Trump and Zelenskyy. It was agreed that meetings between European nations and the US would take place to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, as Russia reportedly launched its largest attack yet this month. Russian attacks escalate, Trump clarifies security guarantees Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles in an overnight attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said. The energy ministry said the strikes caused big fires at energy facilities in the central Poltava region, home to Ukraine's only oil refinery. However, Russia also returned the bodies of 1,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said. Russia received 19 bodies of its own soldiers in return, according to the state-run TASS news agency. Trump said he ruled out putting US troops on the ground in Ukraine but said the US might provide air support as part of a deal to end the war in Ukraine. A day after Trump pledged security guarantees to help end the war at a White House summit, the path to peace remained uncertain as the US and allies prepared to work out what military support for Ukraine might include. "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," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. — With additional reporting by Reuters and Agence France-Presse
Canberra Times
an hour ago
- Canberra Times
US may provide air support to back a Ukraine peace deal
"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," Trump said in an interview with the Fox News Fox & Friends program on Tuesday.
9 News
an hour ago
- 9 News
Trump's online tirade about 'WOKE' museums and US slavery
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here US President Donald Trump has escalated his campaign to purge cultural institutions of materials that conflict with his political directives, alleging museums were too focused on highlighting negative aspects of American history, including "how bad slavery was". In a Truth Social post, Trump directed his attorneys to conduct a review of museums, comparing the effort to his crackdown on universities across the country. "The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been – Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future," Trump wrote. An exhibit of a slave cabin is seen at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis/Getty Images/File/CNN) Trump's comments come days after the White House announced an unprecedented, sweeping review of the Smithsonian Institution, which runs the nation's major public museums. The initiative, a trio of top Trump aides wrote in a letter to Smithsonian Institution secretary Lonnie Bunch III last week, "aims to ensure alignment with the President's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions". The letter said the review would focus on public-facing content, the curatorial process to understand how work is selected for exhibits, current and future exhibition planning, the use of existing materials and collections and guidelines for narrative standards. The Smithsonian in the US. (Getty) Bunch – who has served as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution since 2019 and is the first African American to hold the position – has made multiple comments about the importance of educating people about slavery through the National Museum of African American History and Culture specifically. He told Smithsonian Magazine that part of the purpose of that museum "was to help a nation understand itself – an impossible task without the full recognition of the horrors of slavery". Exhibits at the Smithsonian take years of planning and are heavily evaluated by teams of scholars and curatorial experts before they make their debut. Janet Marstine, a museum ethics expert, said that the demands laid out by the Trump administration "set the Smithsonian up for failure". US President Donald Trump is seeking extensive control over America's cultural establishment. (AP) "Nobody could provide those kinds of materials in such a comprehensive way, in that short amount of time, and so it's just an impossible task," she said. The White House has asked the Smithsonian to provide a wide array of materials, from internal emails and memos to digital copies of all placards and gallery labels currently on display. The Smithsonian declined to comment on Trump's latest remarks. A White House official, asked about the attorney review process Trump described, said the president "will explore all options and avenues to get the Woke out of the Smithsonian and hold them accountable". Still, Trump's efforts to target colleges and universities – which he is now comparing to his focus on Smithsonian museums – has been even more aggressive. His administration has moved to strip federal funding from higher education institutions for a variety of reasons, including allegations of antisemitism and failure to comply with certain policy changes. Columbia University recently settled with the Trump administration for more than US$220 million ($341 millon) and Trump has also been in a protracted battle with Harvard University after his administration froze US$2 billion ($3.1 billion) in federal funding. The Trump administration's push to align federal support with his cultural agenda has extended beyond the nation's capital. The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities cancelled tens of millions of dollars in federal grants earlier this year, affecting small museums, library initiatives, arts programs and academic research projects across the country. Trump has previously praised the Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which he toured during his first term as president. "I'm deeply proud that we now have a museum that honours the millions of African American men and women who built our national heritage, especially when it comes to faith, culture and the unbreakable American spirit," Trump said during remarks at the museum in February 2017. Later that month, Trump said the museum "tells of the great struggle for freedom and equality that prevailed against the sins of slavery and the injustice of discrimination". Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order that put Vice President JD Vance, who serves on the Smithsonian's Board of Regents, in charge of stopping government spending on exhibits that don't align with the administration's agenda. He also tasked a former member of his legal team, attorney Lindsey Halligan, with helping to root out "improper ideology" at the Smithsonian. "Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn – not to be subjected to divisive narratives," the executive order said. The Smithsonian began a review of its own in June, and has repeatedly stressed its commitment to being nonpartisan. The institution told CNN in July that it was committed to an "unbiased presentation of facts and history" and that it would "make any necessary changes to ensure our content meets our standards". The Smithsonian was established in the 1840s by the US with funds from the estate of James Smithson, a British scientist. As a unique trust instrumentality that is supported by federal funds, it is not an executive branch agency , which makes it a complex question whether the Trump administration has the ability to control its exhibits. It is governed by a 17-member Board of Regents led by Chief Justice John Roberts. Trump's moves to review and alter the Smithsonian Institutions have sparked intense debate, including on CNN's NewsNight with Abby Phillip, where Jillian Michaels, podcast host of Keeping it Real , recently defended Trump, saying "he's not" whitewashing slavery. "You cannot tie imperialism and racism and slavery to just one race, which is pretty much what every single exhibit does," Michaels said, adding: "Every single thing is like, 'Oh, no, no, no, this is all because White people bad,' and that's just not the truth." Donald Trump US POLITICS USA history World CONTACT US
