Donald Trump rules out US peacekeepers in Ukraine security guarantee
US
officials plan to meet in the coming days to discuss possible security guarantees and a 'reassurance force' for Ukraine if it agrees a peace deal with
Russia
, as the White House ruled out deploying US troops on a peacekeeping mission.
European leaders and Ukrainian president
Volodymyr Zelenskiy
expressed satisfaction with an
agreement reached on Monday
in Washington. It was agreed that the US
would back security pledges
for Ukraine and play a 'co-ordination' role for European states that would provide 'a first line of defence' if fighting ended.
British prime minister Keir Starmer co-chaired an online meeting on Tuesday to brief more than 30 international leaders about Monday's talks between US president
Donald Trump
, Mr Zelenskiy, several European leaders and top EU and Nato officials.
French president Emmanuel Macron talks with British prime minister Keir Starmer during a video meeting of the 'coalition of the willing'. Photograph: Christophe Simon /AFP via Getty Images
Planning teams from countries that want to bolster Ukraine's long-term security – known as the 'coalition of the willing' - will 'meet with their US counterparts in the coming days', Mr Starmer's office said. His office added that this meeting will 'further strengthen plans to deliver robust security guarantees and prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended'.
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European Council president Antonio Costa said EU leaders also took part in a separate briefing on the talks in Washington, which were attended by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
Mr Costa said: 'After 3½ years of war, diplomatic activity is accelerating and there is growing momentum around providing Ukraine with security guarantees, including the agreement of United States president Trump to participate in this effort. We welcome this.
'Now is the time to accelerate our practical work, to put in place a guarantee similar to Nato's Article 5, with continued United States engagement."
Article 5 is a central tenet of Nato, under which the whole alliance agrees to defend any member that is attacked. Mr Trump has ruled out Nato membership for Ukraine. Russia says Kyiv must relinquish its hopes of joining the alliance as part of any peace deal.
Defence chiefs from Nato's 32 member states will hold a video conference on Wednesday for 'an update on the current security environment' as 'diplomatic efforts to secure peace in Ukraine progress,' said senior alliance official Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump was asked on Fox News what kind of assurances he could give that US troops would not be sent as peacekeepers to Ukraine if the war ended.
'Well, you have my assurance and I'm president,' he replied. 'There'll be some form of security. It can't be Nato,' he added. 'We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably, if you could talk about by air.'
There is no clarity on the possible size, make-up or mandate of a potential future peacekeeping force for Ukraine, but Kyiv welcomes the idea. However, Russia has repeatedly said western troops in Ukraine in any guise would be unacceptable.
Mr Zelenskiy spoke to several leaders from around the world on Tuesday, and said Monday's talks in the White House marked 'truly a significant step toward ending the war and ensuring the security of Ukraine and our people'.
He said: 'We are already working on the concrete content of the security guarantees . . . And we will do everything to make the path to peace a reality - through partnership, through security guarantees and through the courage of the Ukrainian people."
Moscow played down the significance of the talks in Washington and gave no indication of when a mooted meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Mr Zelenskiy might take place.
'The anti-Russian warmongering coalition of the willing failed to outplay (Trump) on his turf,' said former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
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