Putin deal unlikely, no US troop for Ukraine: Trump

President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered his assurances that US troops would not be sent to Ukraine to defend against Russia, after seeming to leave open the possibility the day before.

Trump also said in a morning TV interview that Ukraine’s hopes of joining Nato and regaining the Crimean Peninsula are “impossible.”

Trump also said on Tuesday he hoped Russia’s Vladimir Putin would move forward on ending the war in Ukraine but conceded that the Kremlin leader may not want to make a deal at all, adding this would create a “rough situation” for Putin.

In an interview with the Fox News “Fox & Friends” programme, Trump said he believed Putin’s course of action would become clear in the next couple of weeks.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem (reaching a peace deal), to be honest with you. I think Putin is tired of it. I think they’re all tired of it, but you never know,” Trump said.

US President Donald Trump (left) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks with the media.

“We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks ... It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal,” said Trump, who has previously threatened more sanctions on Russia and nations that buy its oil if Putin does not make peace.

Russia has made no explicit commitment to a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow did not reject any formats for discussing peace in Ukraine but any meeting of national leaders “must be prepared with utmost thoroughness.”

Putin suggested holding a possible meeting with Zelensky in Moscow, according to two sources familiar with a phone call between Trump and Putin.

“Putin mentioned Moscow” during their call on Monday, one of the sources told reporters, adding that Zelensky had said “no” in response.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the talks at the White House as a “major step forward” towards ending Europe’s deadliest conflict in 80 years and setting up a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump in the coming weeks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (from left), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finland's President Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pose for a group photo in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington on Monday. AP

Zelensky was flanked by the leaders of allies including Germany, France and Britain at the summit.

Details of the security guarantees and Trump’s efforts to arrange peace talks continue to evolve after the US president, Zelensky and other European leaders held hours of talks at the White House aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.

European leaders said they want US support for “robust security guarantees,” including the “deployment of a reassurance force” as Trump pursues his campaign promise to end the grinding war.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said Tuesday that his boss “very much welcomes” President Donald Trump’s focus “on achieving a peaceful settlement in Ukraine” through the summits held in the last week.

But he indicated that its crucial Ukraine remains at the table for any future negotiation.

“For him, it’s very important that all involved continue to stay actively engaged and we want to an inclusive dialogue to sustain the important momentum that was created to bring an immediate ceasefire and sustainable peace,” Dujarric said.

He added that the UN stands ready to provide any peacekeeping efforts as part of the security guarantees that are being discussed.

Ukraine’s allies held talks in the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” format on Tuesday, discussing additional sanctions to crank up the pressure on Russia. The grouping has also agreed that planning teams will meet US counterparts in the coming days to advance plans for security guarantees for Ukraine.

While the Washington talks allowed for a temporary sense of relief in Kyiv, there was no let-up in the fighting. Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles in an overnight attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said, the largest this month. The energy ministry said Russia had targeted energy facilities in the central Poltava region, home to Ukraine’s only oil refinery, causing big fires.

However, Russia also returned the bodies of 1,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow received 19 bodies of its own soldiers in return, according to the state-run TASS news agency.

Agencies