The White House is making it increasingly clear: if the war in Ukraine edges toward a settlement, it will be Europe, not the United States, that must bear most of the responsibility for securing the peace.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking in a Fox News interview this week, put it bluntly. America, he said, should help “if it is necessary to stop the killing,” but the task of guaranteeing Kyiv’s security will fall squarely on Europe’s shoulders.
The comments mark one of the sharpest outlines yet of the Trump administration’s posture — supportive but reluctant to be the main underwriter of Ukraine’s future. President Donald Trump has already ruled out sending American troops into Ukraine and has floated the possibility of air support only. Behind that stance lies a familiar refrain: Washington has carried Europe’s defence for decades, and now the balance must shift.
That expectation is colliding with uncertainty. NATO membership for Ukraine has been dismissed by Mr. Trump, but his advisers and European allies have explored more limited guarantees, arrangements that could resemble the alliance’s collective defence pledge without formally expanding the bloc.
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Moscow, meanwhile, has signaled deep resistance. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, warned this week that any framework devised without Russia’s participation would be “a road to nowhere.” The Kremlin has long bristled at the idea of NATO soldiers on its doorstep, even under the guise of peacekeeping.
U.S. officials maintained that there had been what they described as measurable progress, noting that negotiations—once unthinkable—had opened channels between Kyiv and Moscow on conditions for halting the war. Mr. Vance observed that while no one knew how the conflict would end, the very fact that the parties were discussing details represented a step forward.