During an 19/8 meeting led by General Dan Caine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, defense officials from the UK, France, Germany, and Finland pressed the US to reveal its military and air support plans for Ukraine in a potential peace agreement with Russia.
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby responded that the US would play a very small role, Politico reported on 20/8, citing sources.
This meeting, along with a hastily arranged NATO leaders' meeting on 20/8, fueled growing concerns among allies that President Donald Trump would leave the burden of ensuring long-term peace in Ukraine on Europe after the conflict ends, according to 6 US and European officials.
"The reality is setting in that Europe will be the one doing this on the ground. The US isn't committed at all," a NATO official said.
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Elbridge Colby at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. in March. Photo: AFP |
Elbridge Colby at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. in March. Photo: AFP
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson stated that Colby attended the meeting to convey President Trump's and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's directives regarding Ukrainian security guarantees.
"At the meeting, Under Secretary Colby focused on ensuring discussions reflected President Trump's statements on this issue," Wilson said.
On 18/8, President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House to discuss ending the conflict. The US role in post-conflict security guarantees for Ukraine was central to these discussions. European leaders and Zelensky sought clarification on the resources Trump would commit to prevent further Russian aggression against Ukraine after a peace agreement.
President Trump initially indicated on 18/8 a willingness to deploy US troops to Ukraine. He retracted this statement on 19/8, stating his readiness to provide air support for European forces in Ukraine. A White House official confirmed the President's "firm stance against sending ground troops to Ukraine," but asserted that the US had other means of protecting the country.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte briefed the 32 NATO members on the White House discussions on 20/8 and initiated discussions on security guarantees.
The White House proposed a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Budapest, Hungary. However, few officials believed progress would be as swift as Trump suggested.
Huyen Le (Politico, AFP)
