European leaders are moving to translate US President Donald Trump’s support into a concrete security plan for Ukraine, with about 10 countries prepared to send troops as part of a future peace deal.
According to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, officials discussed the deployment of British and French soldiers, including the size and positioning of forces, at a meeting on Tuesday.
“About 10 countries would be ready to send forces to the war-battered nation,” the report reads.
“When it comes to security, they’re willing to put people on the ground,” Trump told Fox News. “We’re willing to help them with things, especially – probably you could talk about by air, because there’s nobody that has the kind of stuff we have, really they don’t have. But I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters that Trump understood the guarantees were “critically important to ensure a lasting peace.”
“He has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and also to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well,” she said.
Leavitt added that while Trump had ruled out US boots on the ground, Washington could “certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees.”
European military officials are set to meet US counterparts in the coming days to work out “robust security guarantees and prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended,” the British government said.
The talks will also involve NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and the military leaders of member states, people familiar with the matter said.
Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, said the terms of the guarantees should be arranged “in the coming days, preferably this week.”
According to Bloomberg, as outlined in the proposal, the first stage would bolster Ukraine’s military with training and reinforcements. This would be followed by a multinational presence – with Britain and France ready to send hundreds of soldiers – stationed away from the front line.
A US role is expected to include intelligence sharing, border surveillance, weaponry and possibly air defense, officials said. At a minimum, European officials expect Washington to continue supplying intelligence and hardware through its partners.
While many EU leaders welcomed Trump’s stance as a breakthrough, officials remain skeptical that the guarantees alone will deter Moscow. The Kremlin, which insists Ukraine cede control of occupied territories, has rejected the idea of NATO troops on Ukrainian soil.
According to a recent Kyiv Post article, as Trump tries to cast himself as the ultimate dealmaker in Ukraine, policy experts warn he is being outmaneuvered by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
While Trump hosted President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Monday, Russia launched one of its largest assaults in weeks – over 270 drones and 10 missiles – a clear signal from the Kremlin that it feels no pressure to slow its war.
Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, told Kyiv Post: “Trump is very good when he can bully people… but Putin is someone who knows how to handle Donald Trump.”
He pointed to the recent Alaska summit, where Trump dropped his demand for an immediate ceasefire and instead accepted Putin’s push for long-term talks on Russian terms.
“Donald Trump has shown him that he’ll go along with it,” Duss said.
Retired US Army Colonel Richard Williams was even more blunt, suggesting that a “hot mic” moment revealed Trump discussing a personal “quid pro quo” with Putin.
Both experts agree that by ceding ground on key issues – including Crimea and Donbas – Trump risks handing Putin a diplomatic victory while leaving Ukraine with “toothless and ineffective” security guarantees.