Military leaders from the United States and several European countries have been developing plans to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, officials said. They shared their ideas with national security advisers this week as efforts continue to find ways to protect the country amid its prolonged war with Russia.
This development follows a pledge by U.S. President Donald Trump to help protect Ukraine under any deal to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year-old war. A Pentagon statement indicated that U.S. and European planners had created military options for “appropriate consideration” by allied national security advisers. Reuters was the first to report that these military leaders were preparing the options.
Defense chiefs from the United States, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine met in Washington, D.C., from Tuesday to Thursday. A source familiar with the matter said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security adviser, held a conference call on Thursday with his European counterparts to discuss the options. A separate U.S. official confirmed that Rubio spoke with UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, the European Commission president’s head of cabinet Bjoern Seibert, NATO secretary general’s chief of staff Geoffrey van Leeuwen, and other national security officials in France, Italy, Germany, and Finland.
The source noted that final details are still being worked out, but European countries would provide “the lion’s share” of any forces involved in security guarantees for Ukraine. This sentiment echoed Vice President JD Vance’s comment on Wednesday that Europe would need to shoulder the majority of the operational costs. “The planning work continues,” the source said, adding that Washington is still “determining the scope of its role.” Trump has stated he will not deploy U.S. troops to Ukraine but has left the door open for other U.S. military involvement, including air support.
Troop Deployments
One of the options discussed was sending European forces to Ukraine but placing them under U.S. command and control, sources told Reuters. U.S. air support could be provided in several ways, such as supplying more air defense systems to Ukraine and enforcing a no-fly zone with U.S. fighter jets.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have both supported the deployment of troops as part of a “coalition of the willing,” with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also signaling openness to his country’s participation. The head of Germany’s soldiers’ union stated on Thursday that European NATO leaders must face the reality that a long-term peace force in Ukraine would require the deployment of tens of thousands of troops. Trump has pushed for a swift end to Europe’s deadliest war in 80 years, while Kyiv and its allies have expressed concern that he might seek to impose an agreement on Russia’s terms.
