Strike while the iron is hot. The debate over the security guarantees to offer Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia has intensified since top European officials gathered in Washington on Monday, August 18, in a bid to influence the negotiations between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. On Tuesday, the question was discussed by the 30 members of the mostly European "coalition of the willing" formed to continue supporting Kyiv. On Wednesday, the chiefs of staff of the 32 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were scheduled to address the issue as well, also by videoconference.

While a ceasefire still seemed distant, the Europeans have shown eagerness to speed up preparations after Trump said on Monday, in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that he was prepared to contribute to Ukraine's security in order to deter any new Russian offensive. While still uncertain, the pledge was seen as the main development to come out of Monday's talks at the White House. Without going into details, Trump insisted the US would "be involved" in security guarantees and promised "very good protection."

You have 83.79% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.