White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt has said that US air support is an “option and a possibility” as part of providing security guarantees to Ukraine.
She said this during a briefing on 19 August when she was repeatedly asked what a US contribution to security guarantees for Ukraine could be, but like President Donald Trump before her, Levitt did not provide any details.
The spokeswoman said the U.S. could provide air support or participate in “coordination” with Ukrainian forces, possibly referring to intelligence sharing.
“The president has made clear that American troops will not be deployed to Ukraine, but we can certainly help coordinate and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies,” she said at a press briefing.
President Trump said in an interview with Fox News on 19 August that he ruled out the possibility of U.S. troops being deployed to Ukraine, but added that the United States could provide air support as part of an agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. He did not provide details.
As part of the security guarantees offered to Ukraine, France, Germany and Britain want to station troops in the country, the US president said.
Trump said he assumes Moscow is ready to agree to this. The Kremlin has repeatedly said it does not support the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine as part of a peace settlement.
Trump also admitted that Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be willing to make a deal.
Meanwhile, Russia continued shelling Ukraine on 19 August amid a White House meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, launching 270 drones and 10 missiles, according to the air force.
The Energy Ministry said the strikes caused large fires at energy facilities in the Poltava region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Washington on 18 August, where he met with US President Donald Trump. There was also a meeting between Trump and Zelensky with the participation of key European allies. According to Zelensky, in Washington, among other things, the issue of security guarantees was discussed.
This meeting took place three days after Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held talks on 15 in Alaska. The main topic of the talks was the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine, but no specific agreements were reported.
Ukraine, amid the continuing Russian invasion, has expressed a desire to join NATO or receive weighty security guarantees from Washington and the so-called European “coalition of the willing.”
Moscow is demanding, among other things, that NATO not be expanded – that is, that Ukraine be denied the right to join the alliance.
U.S. officials have long rejected Ukraine’s membership in NATO.