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U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States could provide air support as part of security guarantees for Ukraine while definitively ruling out putting American troops on the ground, as he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin would face a "rough situation" if he does not cooperate on a peace deal.
Speaking on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program the morning after White House meetings with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, Trump outlined potential U.S. involvement in postwar security arrangements for Ukraine.
"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 during the Fox News interview.
"We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably, talk about by air, because there's nobody [who has the] kind of stuff we have. I don't think it's going to be a problem," Trump added.
The U.S. president did not elaborate on specific air support capabilities, though such assistance could include missile defense systems, fighter jets, or airborne intelligence and surveillance operations."
Trump later told radio host Mark Levin he characterized his negotiating approach as "probably instinct more than process."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed U.S. air support remained "an option and a possibility" but provided no additional details about potential military assistance.
"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," Leavitt said during a daily press briefing.
Leavitt emphasized that Trump understood security guarantees were "vital to ensuring lasting peace" and had directed his national security team to coordinate with European allies and continue discussions with both Ukraine and Russia.
"The president 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," she said.
Addressing the ongoing peace negotiations, Leavit stated, "The president has always said there are areas of disagreement that need to be discussed and decided upon by these two countries in this war. Therefore, he wants these two countries to conduct direct diplomacy."
She argued that Trump understood what both sides wanted and what they would have to give up, noting they saw progress from both sides because both leaders were willing to sit down with each other.
Trump announced Tuesday the U.S. was arranging a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy to discuss ending the conflict, though the Kremlin has not publicly agreed to such a summit.
"I think Putin is tired of it. I think they're all tired of it," Trump said.
"But you never know. We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks. It's possible he does not want to make a deal," he noted.
The U.S. president indicated he was prepared to attend a trilateral meeting with both leaders following their initial discussions to agree.
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Trump issued a direct warning to the Russian leader: "I hope that President Putin will be good, and if he is not, it is going to be a rough situation, and I hope President Zelenskyy is going to show flexibility as well."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov avoided confirming Putin's agreement to meet Zelenskyy, saying any high-level meeting required being "prepared extremely carefully." Lavrov told state television Russia was "not rejecting any forms of work, neither bilateral nor trilateral," but insisted summits needed "step-by-step gradual preparation."
On Monday, Trump had stated, "European nations are going to take a lot of the burden" of securing Ukraine, specifically mentioning France, Germany, and the U.K.
He confirmed Ukraine would not join NATO but said European nations would "frontload" security arrangements.
"(Ukraine) is not going to be a part of NATO, but we've got the European nations, and they'll frontload it," Trump said.
A significant sticking point remains Russia's demand that Ukraine cede territory in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in exchange for freezing front lines in southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine has insisted it will not surrender any territory.
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