© EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL He is confident that Russia will not attack again.
The US President, Donald Trump, communicated explicitly his preparedness to pledge the involvement of the United States in the eventual safeguarding of Ukraine — but solely on the basis that, in his estimation, Russia will not seek to launch another offensive.
“I am thoroughly persuaded that a second incursion will not transpire, otherwise I would not have given my consent to it,” Trump declared during an interview with The New York Times.
Trump was addressing a query pertaining to his willingness to engage in military action to defend Ukraine should Russia contravene a prospective armistice and invade once more. As a constituent element of dialogues intended to terminate the Russian incursion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is soliciting security assurances from Western nations, with the United States as the principal target. He desires them to pledge assistance in safeguarding Ukraine in the event that a ceasefire agreement with Russia is reached.
Trump's pronouncements represent the clearest indication thus far of his eagerness to back such undertakings, at least in a subsidiary capacity. Simultaneously, they underscored his enduring conviction in Russian President Vladimir Putin's avowed aspiration for peace, notwithstanding Moscow's disinclination to bring the war to a close following close to a year of deliberations with the Trump administration.
“I believe he desires to strike a bargain,” Trump remarked concerning Putin. “I’ve pondered this — and I’ve deliberated on it for a considerable duration.”
When questioned about a potential accord that would encompass a pledge by the US and its partners to furnish military aid to Ukraine should a fresh invasion materialize, Trump interjected, stressing that the part played by the United States in such circumstances would be secondary.
“Let’s phrase it thus: its allies, the entirety of Europe, other nations with a stake in this — and the United States,” he stated.
At a gathering in Paris this week, the heads of state of France and Britain conveyed their preparedness to dispatch troops to dissuade Russia from initiating a new assault, contingent upon the establishment of a ceasefire. However, the assembly, featuring White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, did not yield a definitive comprehension of the degree of American support for such a global initiative.
Witkoff affirmed that negotiators had “achieved substantial headway on several pivotal aspects” that are poised to become integral to an ultimate resolution.
It persists as ambiguous, nonetheless, whether Putin would accede to any arrangement that would afford Western backing to Ukraine and its armed forces. On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry communicated that the pledge to constitute a force to aid Ukraine would equate to “militarization, intensification and further exacerbation of the conflict.”
Despite this, Trump asserted in the interview that he holds faith in Putin's readiness for a peaceful settlement.
“I've experienced scenarios where it appeared as though I had reached a complete consensus with Putin, only for Zelensky to resist entering into an agreement — a turn of events that astonished me,” Trump recalled. “Subsequently, there were instances of the reverse nature. I surmise that they both now seek to achieve a resolution, but we shall observe.”
Trump demurred from specifying a concrete deadline for concluding the war — in contrast to the preceding year, during which he frequently stipulated target dates that were never fulfilled. He also conveyed his lack of readiness to pledge augmented American support for Ukraine should Putin persist in rejecting a ceasefire.
“I merely wish to avoid being positioned where I am compelled to articulate it upfront, given my obligation to endeavor to preserve lives,” Trump elucidated.
When prompted regarding a timeframe, he responded: “We are exerting every effort within our capabilities. I possess no definitive schedule.”