Trump confident Russia won’t attack, hints at future support for defending Ukraine
Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump stated that he is willing to take on commitments regarding US participation in the future defense of Ukraine. His agreement is linked to his confidence that Russia will not attempt another attack, according to his interview with The New York Times.
“I feel strongly they wouldn’t re-invade, or I wouldn’t agree to it,” Trump said.
The New York Times notes that the US leader was responding to a question about whether he would be willing to enter the war to defend Ukraine if Russia violates any ceasefire terms and invades the country again.
As is known, in the framework of negotiations to end the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seeking security guarantees from Western countries, including the US. He wants them to commit to helping defend Ukraine in the event a peace agreement is reached.
The NYT also notes that Trump’s comments went further than ever before, demonstrating his willingness to sign on to such a commitment, at least as a form of support.
At the same time, Trump’s words show that he still believes in the declared desire of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for peace, despite Russia’s unwillingness to end the war after nearly a year of negotiations with the Trump administration.
“I think he wants to make a deal. But I’ve thought about that — I’ve thought that for a long time,” the US leader said.
When asked about a potential peace agreement that would require the US and its allies to provide military support to Ukraine in case of a new invasion, Trump interrupted to emphasize that the US would play a secondary role in such a situation.
“Let’s put it this way: its allies, all of Europe, other countries that are going into it — and the United States,” he said.
In addition, Trump claimed that there had been instances where he had already reached an agreement with Putin, but Zelenskyy refused it. Conversely, there were cases when the opposite happened.
“I think now they both want to make a deal, but we’ll find out,” he added.
According to the US leader, he is not ready to promise increased US support for Ukraine if Putin continues to resist a resolution of the conflict. He also did not specify how quickly he hopes the war will end.
“I just don’t want to be in a position to say that, because I have an obligation to see if I can save lives. We’re doing the best we can. I don’t have a timeline,” he summarized.
Security guarantees
Yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a bilateral document on security guarantees for Ukraine from the US is virtually ready. The next step is its finalization at the highest level.
“Difficult issues regarding the basic framework for ending the war were discussed, and the Ukrainian side presented possible options for finalizing this document. We understand that the American side will communicate with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely ready to end the war,” added the Ukrainian president.
According to Axios, the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump to finalize the security guarantees agreement could take place as early as next week.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian leader suggested that at this meeting, Trump might provide a response regarding the timeline for security guarantees for Ukraine.
