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European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, attended to ensure Ukraine’s interests were prioritized. This came days after Trump’s high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Trump, who has ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine, proposed a US role in Kyiv’s security alongside European allies, who he described as the “first line of defense.” Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” emphasizing European involvement. In a Fox News interview on Tuesday, he suggested European ground troops could be part of the guarantees but ruled out deploying US troops, noting US support would likely focus on air capabilities.
Zelenskyy called security guarantees a “key issue” and a starting point for ending the war. He told reporters that these guarantees would be formalized within the next week to 10 days, with national security advisors already in discussions. Zelenskyy also announced Ukraine’s plan to purchase $90 billion in US weapons.
The specifics of the security guarantees remain unclear. Marina Miron, a researcher at King’s College London, noted that neither Ukraine nor the US has detailed what these guarantees entail, such as troop numbers or commitments. Keir Giles, a Eurasia expert at Chatham House, suggested options could range from written assurances—potentially as ineffective as the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, where Russia pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty—to deploying Western peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, though the US has consistently opposed putting boots on the ground.
Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, indicated Russia might accept “Article 5-like” security guarantees for Ukraine, referring to NATO’s collective defense clause. However, Trump reiterated that Ukraine’s NATO membership is off the table as part of any ceasefire deal. Miron warned that Ukraine faces a difficult choice: accept a peace deal with limited territorial recovery or continue fighting without assured US support.
No peace agreement has been reached, but Trump announced plans for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, followed by a trilateral meeting including himself. Zelenskyy expressed readiness to meet Putin one-on-one. Meanwhile, Starmer will host a virtual meeting of a “coalition of the willing” on Tuesday to further discuss a peace plan and potential post-war security arrangements.
The talks come amid intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine, with Zelenskyy condemning recent attacks on civilians as “demonstrative and cynical.” As negotiations continue, the path to ending the war remains uncertain, with Ukraine’s security and territorial integrity hanging in the balance.
*Source: Al Jazeera*
