Asked about NATO membership and security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump took the question, firmly stating nothing had yet been decided and indicating that was something to be discussed with the European leaders, who were no doubt tuning in nervously. The two nodded at each other and Zelenskyy was careful not to be drawn into publicly pressing for NATO membership during the session with journalists.
Security breakthrough
And why would he? He’d just heard Trump offering what many observers see as a game-changer by publicly floating a seemingly major U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine as part of any peace agreement with Russia. “There’ll be a lot of help when it comes to security. There’s going to be a lot of help. It’s going to be good,” Trump announced.
The U.S. would provide Ukraine with a “very good security guarantee,” he went on, just in case anyone had missed it.
Trump insisted European countries would be the “first line of defense” in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, but that didn’t mean they were on their own. “European nations are going to take a lot of the burden. We’re going to help them and we’re going to make it very secure,” he said.
Europeans have hailed Trump’s public commitment to the U.S. joining a NATO-like security arrangement for Ukraine as a “breakthrough.”
Naturally, it’s still all very vague and it looks unlikely that the U.S. wants to donate weapons or send troops. But the discussion is turning again to backstops, reconnaissance, intelligence and big arms deals.
