Trump Reiterates No U.S. Troop Deployment to Ukraine
Says "NATO Membership for Ukraine Will Never Happen"
Open to Supporting European Security Efforts for Ukraine
Willing to Mediate Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks If Agreement Reached
On August 19 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump once again confirmed that he would not deploy American troops in connection with providing security guarantees to Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox News that day, President Trump dismissed the possibility of deploying U.S. forces to defend Ukraine’s borders, stating, "I am the president and I can guarantee that," adding, "I am simply trying to prevent people from dying."
He also reaffirmed his position that Ukraine’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is impossible.
He said, "Ukraine will need security guarantees in some form, but NATO membership is not one of them," stressing, "That will never happen."
However, he emphasized that the United States is willing to support Europe if it seeks to send troops to guarantee Ukraine’s security. He added, "We could perhaps discuss air defense support," explaining, "No other country has such equipment like we do."
Previously, President Trump stated at the White House the day before, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as European leaders, "We discussed the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine, and several European countries will provide them in cooperation with the United States."
He argued that the Ukraine war stems not only from the NATO issue but also from the situation in Crimea, declaring that both NATO membership and the return of Crimea are "impossible." He criticized former U.S. President Barack Obama for Russia’s forcible annexation of Crimea during the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, saying, "Obama handed it over without a single shot being fired," and called it "one of the worst real estate deals I’ve ever seen."
President Trump said he is working to arrange peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky, stating, "I hope Putin does the right thing, and Zelensky will do what he must," adding, "Zelensky must show some flexibility." He continued, "We’ll see what the outcome is," and emphasized, "If things go well, I will participate in a trilateral summit to finalize the agreement."
The previous day, President Trump held bilateral and multilateral meetings at the White House with Ukrainian and European leaders and agreed to mediate direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. If the two countries reach an agreement on territorial issues and other matters, a trilateral summit involving President Trump will be held to sign a peace agreement.
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