- Category
- Latest news
US Weighs Air Support for Ukraine as Putin–Zelenskyy Meeting Planned
- Authors
![Photo of Liubava Petriv]( "Photo of Liubava Petriv")
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefed reporters on August 19 as peace negotiations in Russia’s war against Ukraine continue to dominate President Trump’s agenda.
Leavitt said that during a call on August 18, Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Trump he would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the coming weeks.
“Because he spoke to him directly yesterday and the president put that in a statement that he gave to all of you, the news media, knowing you’d be asking following that conversation in the effort of transparency,” Leavitt explained.
When a reporter noted that the Kremlin appeared noncommittal about the meeting, Leavitt added, “I can assure you that the United States government and the Trump administration is working with both Russia and Ukraine to make that bilateral happen as we speak.”
The briefing followed a series of meetings on August 18, when Trump met with Zelenskyy and a group of European leaders in the Oval Office to discuss a potential ceasefire and security guarantees. Trump also met with Putin in Alaska last week, though he acknowledged little progress toward a deal was made.
Regarding security arrangements, Trump has ruled out US ground forces in Ukraine, but Leavitt noted that “a US presence in the air…is an option and a possibility. I won’t certainly rule out anything as far as military options that the president has at his disposal. I’ll let him do that.”
During a “Fox & Friends” interview on August 19, Trump suggested that while European allies are willing to put personnel on the ground, “We’re willing to help them with things, especially—probably, if you talk about by air, because there’s — nobody has the kind of stuff we have, really, they don’t have.”
Leavitt also emphasized the administration’s broader security role: “We can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies. The president understands security guarantees are crucially important to ensure a lasting peace, and he 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 reaffirmed that US troops will not be deployed in Ukraine: “The president has definitively stated US boots will not be on the ground.”
Previously, it was reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia is “not refusing” any form of work regarding the Ukrainian settlement, whether bilateral or trilateral. However, he added that “any contacts involving top leaders must be prepared very carefully.”
