President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States “will not” place American ground troops in Ukraine, telling Fox News, “You have my assurance, and I’m president.” The pledge, delivered a day after the White House hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders, ends 24 hours of uncertainty created when Trump initially declined to rule out a U.S. peacekeeping presence. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later reinforced the position, stating that U.S. boots “will not be on the ground,” although Washington could help coordinate security guarantees and provide air support to any European force deployed under a future peace agreement. Trump said France, Germany and the U.K. are prepared to “front-load” a reassurance mission while the United States assists from the air. The shift follows Monday’s summit-level talks in Washington and Trump’s subsequent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump reiterated that Kyiv’s NATO ambitions and the return of Crimea are “impossible,” urging both Putin and Zelensky to show flexibility as negotiations intensify. He is working to arrange bilateral talks between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, potentially followed by a trilateral session including the United States. European allies plan further meetings with U.S. officials to refine the security framework and discuss funding. While the timetable for a cease-fire remains unsettled, Trump’s explicit rejection of an American ground deployment narrows the military options on the table and places greater responsibility for any peacekeeping force on European partners.