Trump ready to offer security guarantees to Ukraine, but only outside NATO – Politico

US President Donald Trump has told European and Ukrainian leaders that he is ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees – under certain conditions. This was reported by Politico, citing an unnamed European diplomat and a British official and another person with knowledge of the matter.

The discussion took place as part of a virtual meeting organized by Germany on August 13, aimed at coordinating American and European positions before Trump's meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin .

The journalists' interlocutors said that the United States is ready to play a role in providing Kyiv with the means to deter future Russian aggression if a ceasefire is reached.

A person briefed on the conversation said Trump said he would only make such a commitment if the effort did not involve NATO.

According to Politico, Trump's openness to such guarantees – a key demand of Ukraine and Europe – helps explain the cautious optimism that European officials expressed after the conversation and ahead of Trump's meeting with Putin at the military base in Alaska.

Trump did not specify what he meant by security guarantees and discussed only the broader concept, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

US president recognizes that American security guarantees should be part of final settlement and sees a role for America in this, British official says.

• Zelenskyy hopes for guarantees from the US that will be at least as strong as Israel's.
• Former US Ambassador to the OSCE Carpenter believes that anything less than NATO's Article Five is an unreliable guarantee .