President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday that no American forces will be sent to defend Ukraine to aid them in the war against Russia, even after he leaves office.
Trump made an appearance on Fox & Friends on Tuesday to discuss his ongoing negotiations with both Russia and Ukraine, making it clear that there will not be any Americans sent to fight this war.
“You have my assurance,” Trump said, per Fox News. “I’m just trying to stop people from being killed. They’re losing 5,000 to 7,000 people a week in that ridiculous war that should have never happened.”
Trump added that he will prioritize a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before organizing bigger negotiations.
“They haven’t exactly been best friends,” said the president.
“Maybe they’re getting along a little bit better than I thought. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have set up the two [of them] meeting, I would have set up a [trilateral meeting].”
These comments came one day after meetings with Zelenskyy and several NATO leaders at the White House, following a meeting with Putin to discuss a treaty during the Alaska Summit, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Trump has also frequently voiced his opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, while emphasizing that some European partners have agreed to provide security guarantees.
Zelenskyy posted on social media to detail the discussions about security guarantees, writing that he is “confident that peace can be reliable and lasting, and security guarantees are the key to this.”
“Ukrainians have defended independence, Ukraine has united many nations, and by ensuring strong security guarantees, it will certainly ensure the future for our people,” Zelenskyy added.
“We are now actively working at all levels on the specifics, on what the architecture of the guarantees will look like, with all members of the Coalition of the Willing, and very concretely with the United States. This is one of the major results of Washington talks. I am grateful to everyone who is helping.”
New reports have also indicated that NATO military leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine, though no indication has been provided about the specifics of this meeting, according to The Guardian.
Although no deal between Ukraine and Russia is currently imminent, the recent movement has provided reason to be hopeful.
Trump said that the U.S. will “find out” whether Putin is truly willing to negotiate a treaty in the coming days, noting that Zelensky must “show some flexibility” because the two must have “somewhat of a relationship,” as reported by The Washington Post.