Officials within the Pentagon have announced that the U.S. will reportedly play a small role in any of the security guarantees, making it clear that European leaders will be forced to shoulder the burden of keeping the peace.
Elbridge Colby, the Defence Undersecretary for Policy, said the U.S. would not have a large presence after European military leaders met and pushed for the U.S. to disclose what it would provide in terms of troops and air assets to secure lasting peace in the country. According to a European official and another person briefed on the matter, the comments came on Wednesday as many allies worry about President Trump’s reliance on Europe.
“There’s the dawning reality that this will be Europe making this happen on the ground,” said a NATO diplomat to Politico. “The U.S. is not fully committed to anything.”
The meeting — which occurred just days after President Trump hosted several world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — reveals the momentous task Ukraine and its allies face once the war has ended. The president said that he refuses to send soldiers to Ukraine.
The lack of U.S. forces has made several European leaders nervous. “I don’t know where that leaves us,” said one of the officials. “Pretty much back to where we were in the spring with the coalition of the willing.”
America in the air
Despite refusing to put American boots on the ground, Trump said that he was considering providing air support should a peace deal with Russia go through. “When it comes to security, (European allies) are willing to put people on the ground. We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably, by air,” Trump said while on Fox News.
It was reported that one of the core concerns regarding a peace agreement has been security guarantees, which Kyiv says it needs to ensure Russia does not invade again after a possible ceasefire. At first, Washington swatted the idea of those promises as Europe’s responsibility, but has since changed his tune.
Since meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska earlier this month, President Trump has insisted that Ukraine must cede land to stop the fighting, which reached its three-year mark in February.
It’s unclear how US air support would be rolled out, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it remains “an option and a possibility.” Air support could include missile defense systems or even a no-fly zone.
According to Bloomberg, a security package for Ukraine could be implemented as early as this week. European leaders began working quickly once the U.S. president hinted at support.
Unlike the US, Europe is more than willing to send ground troops to the front lines in Ukraine, which could include those from Britain, France, and 10 other countries.