NATO defense chiefs met, reigniting a debate over what mechanisms could guarantee Ukraine’s security if a peace agreement is reached. This issue gained momentum after President Donald Trump’s promise to offer protection guarantees. However, discussions are still in their early stages and uncertain.
What are the post-conflict guarantees for Ukraine?
U.S. and European military planners have begun exploring post-conflict security guarantees for Ukraine, U.S. officials and sources told Reuters on Tuesday, following President Donald Trump’s pledge to help protect the country under any deal to end Russia’s war.
Ukraine and its European allies have been buoyed by Trump’s promise during a summit on Monday of security guarantees for Kyiv, but many questions remain unanswered. Officials told Reuters that the Pentagon is carrying out planning exercises on the support Washington could offer beyond providing weapons.
But they cautioned that it would take time for U.S. and European planners to determine what would be both militarily feasible and acceptable to the Kremlin. One option was sending European forces to Ukraine but putting the U.S. in charge of their command and control, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The sources added that the troops would not be under a NATO banner but operate under their own nations’ flags.
Different forms of military support
The Pentagon and NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the idea.In a press briefing, the White House said that the United States could help coordinate a security guarantee for Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has ruled out the deployment of troops from NATO countries to help secure a peace deal.
Trump has publicly ruled out deploying U.S. troops in Ukraine but on Tuesday appeared to leave the door open to other U.S. military involvement. In an interview with Fox News “Fox & Friends” program, he suggested Washington could provide air support to Ukraine. “When it comes to security, (Europeans) are willing to put people on the ground, we’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably, … by air because nobody has stuff we have, really they don’t have,” Trump said. He did not provide further details.
US air support emerges as a possibility
U.S. air support could come in a variety of ways including providing more air defense systems to Ukraine and enforcing a no-fly zone with U.S. fighter jets. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022, the United States has shipped billions of dollars worth of weapons and munitions to Kyiv. The Trump administration briefly halted those weapons shipments, including after a contentious White House meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in February and again in July.
This air support from the United States could be seen as a way to balance Trump’s political commitment to Ukraine, without resorting to the risk of sending troops on the ground, a move that the president himself has already ruled out.
Diplomatic and military challenges for NATO
An international presence on Ukrainian territory will require some difficult negotiations, not only between the United States and European countries, but also from Ukraine itself, which wants concrete guarantees after years of war. Russia’s reaction remains a concern, as Moscow rejects the presence of foreign troops on its territory, which limits NATO’s options for direct action.
Current discussions on the case indicate that, while there is political will to offer lasting support to Ukraine, some operational details are still far from being agreed upon. Donald Trump’s promises, coupled with the reality of NATO forces’ operations, create a space of uncertainty, and this could determine the future of European security, as well as stability in the Eastern hemisphere.
GCN.com/Reuters