U.S. considers air support as part of security guarantees for Ukraine

She made this statement when asked what the United States’ contribution to Ukraine’s security guarantees could be. 

"The U.S. could provide air support or take part in the 'coordination' of Ukrainian forces—possibly referring to intelligence sharing," Leavitt said.

“The President has made it clear that U.S. troops will not be deployed in Ukraine, but we can certainly help with coordination and potentially provide other means of security assurances alongside our European allies.”

Security guarantees for Ukraine

The United States and European countries are urgently drafting security guarantees for Ukraine to create the conditions for a possible meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders agreed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a special task force. It will include national security advisers and NATO representatives tasked with preparing a draft set of security guarantees for Ukraine.

Following Zelenskyy’s and European leaders’ meetings with Trump in the U.S., Russian officials began publicly dismissing Europe’s proposed security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal, the Institute for the Study of War noted.

On Aug. 19, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed that only reliable security guarantees for Ukraine can deter future Russian attacks.

“Putin cannot be trusted to honor any promises or commitments," she said.

"That’s why the security guarantees must be strong and credible enough to prevent Russia from regrouping and resuming its assault.”