FT: Europe alarmed by US plans for security deal with Russia

European capitals have voiced alarm at the Trump administration’s claim to be working on a new “framework” for European security with Russia as part of a future peace deal in Ukraine, Financial Times writes.

Donald Trump met Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Russian official and one of President Vladimir Putin’s envoys to the talks, at the White House on Thursday evening. “There’s going to be an agreement; it’s going to be a big agreement, and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,” Trump told reporters afterwards. “It’s going to involve more than Ukraine, and I could even say it might involve all of Europe.”

Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law, wrote later on Thursday that Washington was seeking to “develop practical arrangements that address the security concerns of all sides”, including “an enduring framework for long-term European security and stability”.

European capitals oppose using Ukraine peace talks to negotiate a new security architecture for the continent, fearing Moscow would seek to reassert its sphere of influence and erode the sovereignty of its Nato neighbours. They also worry that the Trump administration could strike a deal with Russia at the expense of European security.

“It’s up to the European Union to decide on matters that affect its security,” a spokesperson for the European Commission said on Friday.

One European official described Kushner’s message as a “complete surprise”. “There will be no simultaneous negotiations on European security until the war [against Ukraine] is over. Besides, we know what the Russians mean by that and it will not happen.”

“There has been absolutely no talk about the future of NATO and everyone is unanimous that any changes to NATO or reduction of its presence are out of the question,” they added.

Kushner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have stepped up their efforts to engage with Kyiv, Moscow and select European capitals ahead of planned talks between US, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Abu Dhabi next week. They have also laid out a series of potential economic and investment deals that could be made between the US and Russia.

A second European official said US comments about involving Europe in a greater negotiation with Russia about the continent’s security architecture were designed to show there was progress in the lead-up to the Abu Dhabi talks.

But two people involved in back-channel efforts to end the war said it was unlikely that the Abu Dhabi talks would lead to any meaningful ceasefire, as Putin was focused on regaining the upper hand through a brutal winter campaign of air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

European capitals have sought greater input in the US-led talks that have yielded scant progress since Trump’s return to power almost two years ago, but are divided over how to proceed or who should represent them.

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