Trump suggests air support but no troops for Ukraine's security

by · UPI

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said the United States would provide air support for Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, but not U.S. troops on the ground.

If the war in Ukraine ends soon, U.S. air support would be available to help ensure its security instead of making Ukraine a NATO member, Trump said on Monday evening.

"When it comes to security, they are willing to put people on the ground," Trump said of Ukraine's European neighbors in a Fox News interview, as reported by The Hill.

"We're willing to help them with things, especially ... by air because nobody has [the] stuff we have," Trump said.

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White House press secretary Karolin Leavitt on Tuesday confirmed Trump "definitively" opposes deploying U.S. troops to Ukraine, The Hill reported.

Instead, Ukraine's European neighbors and others might support peace by deploying troops there, Axios reported on Tuesday.

If so, the United States would be willing to provide air support to help maintain the peace, Trump suggested.

Potential U.S. involvement in Ukraine's security is important for enabling a potential peace agreement to end the war that Russia started by invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Monday.

Potential air support could be in the form of U.S. pilots engaging Russian aircraft in defensive operations over Ukraine, intercepting missiles or just providing air-to-air refueling.

Trump and former President Joe Biden each have said they don't want the United States involved in direct combat with Russian forces.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the Trump administration's lead negotiator for Ukraine security plans, which Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed during their White House meeting on Monday.

Whatever peace agreement Ukraine and Russia might make, Trump wants Russia to return tens of thousands of Ukrainian children whom it has abducted from Ukraine, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, officials in Switzerland have offered to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

"We are ready for such a meeting," Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told CNN's broadcast partner SRF on Tuesday.

"We have always signaled our willingness," Cassis said, "but it, of course, hinges on the willingness of the major powers."

The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Putin's arrest for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, including abducting children.

Cassis said the Swiss government would not arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We can do this despite the arrest warrant against Putin because of our special role and Geneva's role as the European headquarters of the [United Nations]," Cassis explained.

Trump talked with Putin following his meeting with Zelensky on Monday and after hosting the Russian president in Alaska on Friday.

Trump said he is working to arrange a meeting between Zelensky and Putin within the next two weeks.