U.S. President Donald Trump informed European and Ukrainian leaders of his readiness to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, but under certain conditions. This news came during an online meeting organized by Germany on Wednesday to reconcile American and European positions before Trump's upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Three sources - a European diplomat, a British official, and an insider familiar with the conversation - confirmed that the U.S. is ready to play a certain role in providing Kyiv with means to deter future Russian aggression in case a ceasefire is achieved.
European officials expressed cautious optimism after this conversation and ahead of the Friday meeting. Europe is working on mechanisms for security guarantees without the U.S., including the creation of a coalition of willing ground forces to protect potential peace agreements, while considering American support.
Donald Trump expressed readiness to provide security guarantees for Ukraine during discussions with European and Ukrainian leaders. This caused cautious optimism among European officials ahead of Trump's summit with Putin. Europe is working on security guarantee mechanisms without the U.S., but still expects American support in efforts to protect Ukraine from potential Russian aggression.