President Donald Trump told European and Ukrainian leaders that the US is ready to provide security guarantees for Ukraine - under certain conditions. This was reported by Politico sources, according to UNN.
Details
The discussion took place during a virtual meeting organized by Germany on Wednesday, aimed at aligning American and European positions ahead of Trump's Friday summit with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Politico reports that three people - a European diplomat, a British official, and a person informed about the conversation - stated that the US is ready to play a role in providing Kyiv with the means to deter future Russian aggression if a ceasefire is reached. The person informed about the conversation said that Trump stated he would only make such a commitment if these efforts were not part of NATO.
Trump's openness to such guarantees - a key demand of Ukraine and Europe - helps explain the cautious optimism that European officials expressed after the conversation and ahead of Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska.
According to an informed source, Trump did not specify what exactly he meant by security guarantees, but only discussed the broader concept.
The British official noted that Trump recognizes that American security guarantees must be part of a final settlement and believes that the US has a role to play in this.
The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment on Trump's readiness for American involvement in security guarantees.
As Politico writes, whatever the security guarantees, Trump made it clear that the US would not continue to supply weapons or troops directly to Ukraine, although he would sell weapons to Europe for Kyiv's use. These supplies are likely to be limited - and this will undoubtedly disappoint Ukraine's supporters who want more robust US guarantees to deter Russia from re-invading Ukraine after the fighting ends.
Although European and Ukrainian officials believe that Trump has taken their advice into account and is seeking a ceasefire, they fear what will happen when Trump and Putin are left alone.
It is also reported that Europe sought to agree on security guarantees without the US, for example, by creating a coalition of ready ground forces that could help protect any peace agreement, and it wants American support for these efforts.
Trump opposed providing lethal military aid to Ukraine for most of his presidency. Although the US does not directly send weapons, he recently allowed Europe to purchase American weapons for shipment to Ukraine - a move his administration said increased pressure on Moscow and convinced Putin to come to the negotiating table.
Addition
On August 14, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot stated that Donald Trump, during a video conference with European allies, "clearly stated" that he would demand an unconditional ceasefire from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Bloomberg reported that Trump said that Russia would face "very serious consequences" if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire deal later this week.