Trump offers assurances that US troops won't be sent to help defend Ukraine
Trump also said in a morning TV interview that Ukraine's hopes of joining NATO and regaining the Crimean Peninsula from Russia are 'impossible.'
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. While answering questions from journalists, Trump did not rule out sending US troops to participate in a European-led effort to defend Ukraine as part of security guarantees sought by Zelensky.
Trump said after his meeting in Alaska last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Putin was open to the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine.
But asked Tuesday on Fox News Channel's 'Fox & Friends' what assurances he could provide going forward and beyond his term that American troops would not be part of defending Ukraine's border, Trump said, 'Well, you have my assurance, and I'm president.'
Trump would have no control over the US military after his terms ends in January 2029.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later on Tuesday emphasized that 'US boots will not be on the ground' as part of any potential peacekeeping mission.
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.
Trump on Monday said that he was arranging for direct talks between Putin and Zelensky.
But the Kremlin has not yet said whether Putin, who has resisted previous calls by Trump and others for direct negotiations on ending the war, is committed to a face-to-face meeting with the Ukrainian leader.
Asked whether Putin has promised Trump that he'll meet directly with the Ukrainian leader, Leavitt responded affirmatively. 'He has,' Leavitt said of Putin.
Trump early on Monday during talks with Zelensky and European leaders said that he was pressing for three-way talks among Zelensky, Putin and himself.
But after speaking to Putin later in the day, Trump said that he was arranging first for a face-to-face between Zelensky and Putin and that three-way talks would follow if necessary.
'It was an idea that evolved in the course of the president's conversations with both President Putin, President Zelensky and the European leaders yesterday,' Leavitt explained.
Trump said he believed Putin's course of action would become clear in the coming weeks.
'I think Putin is tired of it,' Trump said. 'I think they're all tired of it. But you never know. We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks. That I can tell you.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
39 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Russia expects India to keep buying its oil and seeks China-India-Russia talks
Russia expects to continue supplying oil to India despite warnings from the United States, Russian embassy officials in New Delhi said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow hopes trilateral talks will soon take place with India and China. US President Donald Trump has announced an additional tariff of 25 percent on Indian goods exported to the US from August 27, as a punishment for buying Russian oil, which constitutes 35 percent of India's total imports compared with a negligible 0.2 percent before the Ukraine war. 'I want to highlight that despite the political situation, we can predict that the same level of oil import (by India),' Roman Babushkin, the charge d'affaires at the Russian embassy in India, told a press briefing. He predicted India and Russia would find ways to overcome Trump's latest tariffs in their 'national interests.' Trade talks between India and the US broke down over the opening up of India's vast farm and dairy sectors, as well as its purchases of Russian oil. The total tariff announced on Indian goods entering the US is 50 percent. The Indian foreign ministry did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. It has previously said the US decision to single out India for Russian purchases was 'extremely unfortunate.' Russia's Deputy Trade Commissioner Evgeny Griva on Wednesday said buying oil from Russia is 'very profitable' for India, which will not want to change its supplier. On average Russia gives a 5-7 percent discount to Indian buyers, he said, adding that Russia has a 'very, very special mechanism' to continue oil supplies to India. In addition, he said Russia had started accepting Indian rupee payments for its goods after the resolution of issues that had trapped billions of dollars worth of funds in Indian banks. 'Greater Eurasian partnership' As tensions between Washington and New Delhi rise, high-profile visits from New Delhi and Beijing in recent weeks have raised hopes on the part of the Asian neighbors that ties damaged by a 2020 border clash can be repaired. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to visit China for the first time in over seven years later this month. The planned visit was reported by Reuters last week, even as other high profile exchanges, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's two-day visit to New Delhi, concluded. At the same time, Russia is trying to revive long-standing plans for a trilateral meeting with India and China to help them forge a 'greater Eurasian partnership.' 'As far as the trilateral is concerned, we are quite hopeful that this format will be resumed sooner rather than later because its importance is not questioned,' Babushkin said. 'This is closely linked to the Russian initiative of the establishment of the greater Eurasian partnership,' Babushkin said. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Modi in New Delhi by the end of year, he said. Putin, Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also expected to all attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation starting August 31.
Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
US strikes deportation deals with Honduras and Uganda
WASHINGTON – The US has reached bilateral deportation agreements with Honduras and Uganda as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration, according documents obtained by the BBC's US partner CBS. Uganda has agreed to take an unclear number of African and Asian migrants who had claimed asylum on the US-Mexico border, while Honduras will receive several hundred deported people from Spanish-speaking countries, CBS reports. The move is part of an attempt by Donald Trump's administration to get more countries to accept deported migrants who are not their own citizens. Human rights campaigners have condemned the policy, saying migrants face the risk of being sent to countries where they could be harmed. Under the agreement, Uganda has agreed to accept deported migrants as long as they do not have criminal histories, but it's unclear how many the country would ultimately take, according to CBS. Honduras agreed to receive migrants over two years, including families travelling with children, but documents suggest it could decide to accept more. Both deals are part of the Trump administration's broader push for deportation arrangements with countries on several continents – including those with controversial human rights records. So far, at least a dozen nations have agreed to accept deported migrants from other countries. Last week, the US State Department announced it had signed a "safe third country" agreement with Paraguay to "share the burden of managing illegal immigration". The White House has also been actively courting several African nations, with Rwanda saying earlier this month it will take up to 250 migrants from the US. A condition of the deal specifies that Rwanda would have "the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement", a government spokesperson told the BBC. Rwanda has previously been criticised for its human rights record, including the risk that those sent to the East African nation could be deported again to countries where they may face danger. Earlier this year, Panama and Costa Rica agreed to take in several hundred African and Asian migrants from the US. Government documents show the Trump administration has also approached countries like Ecuador and Spain to receive deported migrants, CBS reported. Since the start of his second term, Trump has embarked on sweeping efforts to remove undocumented migrants – a key election promise that drew mass support during this campaign. In June, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland without giving them the chance to raise the risks they might face. At the time, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the majority ruling, calling the decision "a gross abuse". UN rights experts and human rights groups have also argued that these removals to a nation that is not the migrant's place of origin could violate international law. – BBC
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Lavrov says security talks without Russia are ‘road to nowhere'
Russia said on Wednesday that attempts to resolve security issues relating to Ukraine without Moscow's participation were a 'road to nowhere.' Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the remarks two days after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukraine's president and European leaders to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine that could help end the war. 'We cannot agree with the fact that now it is proposed to resolve questions of security, collective security, without the Russian Federation. This will not work,' Lavrov said. 'I am sure that in the West and above all in the United States they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia, it's a road to nowhere,' he added.
