Trump signals support for security guarantees for Ukraine, stresses Europe's role
U.S. President Donald Trump signalled on Sept. 5 that Washington would assist with providing security guarantees for Kyiv but emphasized Europe's leading role in the effort.
"We'll work that out. We'll help them. Look, we want to save a lot of lives," Trump told journalists at the White House when asked about potential security guarantees.
"Europe will be first in by far, and they want to be first, and they want to see it end."
The statement echoes Trump's earlier declarations about the U.S. backing for European-led efforts to safeguard Ukraine against future Russian aggression in case of a ceasefire.. The U.S. president did not provide details on what the U.S. assistance would entail.
The remarks follow a Sept. 4 summit of the Coalition of the Willing, where President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders discussed plans for a multinational reassurance force and commitments of weapons, logistics, and training to shield Ukraine from renewed Russian attacks.
After the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said that 26 countries are ready to send troops or contribute other support as part of guarantees, but only after a ceasefire.
While Trump has ruled out the participation of U.S. troops in the reassurance force, the U.S. has reportedly signalled readiness to provide intelligence and air defense support.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected the presence of peacekeepers from NATO countries on Ukrainian territory, saying such troops would be "legitimate targets for destruction."
Despite initially pledging to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours, Trump's months-long efforts to end the war have failed to bring any tangible progress.
During the press briefing at the White House, Trump acknowledged that the Russia-Ukraine war "turned out to be one that's a little bit more difficult" to solve. Nevertheless, he expressed optimism that the conflict would come to an end.
"It'll end all of a sudden. It's going to come together. You watch," Trump said.
