Senior US and European officials are discussing potential security guarantees for Ukraine, with proposals including the deployment of European forces under US command. The talks, involving defense chiefs from the US, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and Ukraine, are ongoing as Russia has expressed strong opposition to any foreign military presence in the country.
CNN confirmed the US stance on European involvement, with a network source claiming Washington could play a limited role in security guarantees, which may include US pilots flying manned air support missions. European officials have also reportedly suggested that the US continue providing intelligence and surveillance assistance.
ABC News reported that the discussions are in the early stages and are likely to evolve into a wider political debate. One person familiar with the talks told the outlet that if NATO troops are eventually deployed, they would be training Ukrainian forces rather than carrying out operations against Russia.
US President Donald Trump earlier said Washington would not send ground troops to Ukraine, but did not rule out certain forms of air support.
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that any foreign military presence in Ukraine would be ‘unacceptable’ to Moscow, arguing that this would be tantamount to ‘intervention.’ However, he did not rule out security guarantees for Ukraine or Western involvement in principle, while stressing that any arrangement must be ‘on an equal basis’ and take Russian interests into account.