Trump tells European leaders US could provide security guarantees for Ukraine

[Desmond Milligan 0]

President Donald Trump has told European and Ukrainian leaders that the U.S. is willing to contribute security guarantees for Ukraine — with some conditions, according to three people familiar with the conversation.

The discussion took place as part of a German-arranged virtual meeting Wednesday aimed to coordinate American and European positions before Trump’s Friday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The three people — a European diplomat, a British official and a person briefed on the call — all said the U.S. was willing to play some sort of role in providing Kyiv with the means to deter future Russian aggression if a ceasefire is reached. The person briefed on the call said that Trump said he would only make such a commitment if the effort is not part of NATO.

Trump’s openness to such guarantees — a key demand for both Ukraine and Europe — help explain the cautious optimism European officials have expressed after the conversation and ahead of Friday’s meeting. Trump did not specify what he meant by security guarantees and only discussed the broader concept, the person briefed on the call said.

Trump recognizes that an American security guarantee must be part of a final settlement and sees the U.S. as playing a role in that, the British official said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s openness to an American role in a security guarantee.

Whatever the security guarantees may be, Trump has made clear that the U.S. will not continue to provide weapons or troops directly to Ukraine, though he will sell weapons to Europe to be used by Kyiv. It also is likely to be limited — and is sure to disappoint Ukraine’s backers who want more robust assurances from the U.S. to deter Russia from invading Ukraine again once the fighting is over.

While European and Ukrainian officials feel that Trump has taken their advice into account and is seeking a ceasefire, they are wary of what will happen when Trump and Putin are alone together.

While Europe has sought to make arrangements for security guarantees without the U.S., such as by standing up a coalition of willing ground forces that could help defend any eventual peace deal, they want American backing for these efforts.

Trump has opposed lethal military assistance for Ukraine for most of his presidency. While the U.S. is not directly sending weapons, he has recently allowed Europe to purchase American weaponry to send to Ukraine – a move his administration says has added pressure to Moscow and convinced Putin to come to the table.

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