The Pentagon has told allies that the US plans to play a "minimal role" in security guarantees for Ukraine, Politico has learned, UNN writes.
Details
According to Politico, a senior Pentagon policy official "told allies that the US plans to play a minimal role in any security guarantees for Ukraine." Elbridge Colby, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, made these comments on Tuesday evening in response to questions from European military leaders at a meeting led by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane, the publication writes.
As noted, Tuesday's meeting, as well as a hastily arranged video conference of military leaders from 32 NATO allies held on Wednesday, "left Europeans concerned that Donald Trump would leave them to secure long-term peace in Ukraine largely alone." "It is becoming increasingly clear that it is Europe that will implement this on the ground," said a NATO diplomat briefed on the talks. "The US is not fully committed to anything."
European countries want Trump to deploy American fighter jets to Romania as part of US security guarantees, London's The Times reported last night. They are also pushing for continued use of American satellites for GPS and intelligence in Ukraine after the war.
The New York Times reports that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold a meeting today with national security advisers from Ukraine and its European allies.
Rubio to head commission on Ukraine's security guarantees19.08.25, 21:21 • [views_3410]
"Meanwhile, the White House is busy organizing a summit (which may never happen) between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump's aides are now saying it could happen within a month; Trump himself previously told European leaders it would happen within two weeks," the publication says.
The US, as indicated, is trying to determine a host, "which is proving to be a difficult task," an administration official admitted. "The White House has a preferred venue: Budapest, home to Trump's ally, the Kremlin-friendly Viktor Orban. French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for Geneva; the Russians have reportedly repeatedly criticized Rome; Vienna and Doha are also on the list of candidates," the publication writes.
Zelenskyy and Putin Summit: Sky News learns of five possible locations20.08.25, 13:59 • [views_4322]
Meanwhile, the Kremlin, the publication notes, continues to lower expectations for bilateral talks. Dmitry Polyansky, Russia's deputy representative to the UN, told the BBC: "This should not be a meeting for the sake of a meeting." Gloomy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: "When it comes to meetings at the highest level, they must be prepared with the utmost care."
At the same time, as the publication points out, European allies want security guarantees to be defined before any meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. But Lavrov ridiculed the idea that this could happen without Moscow's (and Beijing's) participation in the planning stages, calling the issue of Ukraine's security without Russia a road to nowhere, the publication indicates.
"So what can Russia agree to? Spoiler: not much. Moscow's ambassador to Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, rejected the idea of deploying foreign troops in Ukraine, stating on X that "Moscow has made it absolutely clear" that this is "completely out of the question." Russia says it is ready to accept security guarantees for Kyiv in the style of NATO's Article 5, but not membership in the alliance," the publication says.
As noted, currently 10 countries, including France and Great Britain, have expressed their readiness to deploy troops in the country as part of a peace agreement. "But with the issue of NATO membership off the table, many Ukrainians view talks about security guarantees with growing skepticism and anxiety," the publication says.