‘The Guardian’: Ukraine ceasefire back in focus as US security guarantees fade and casualties mount

Graves of Ukrainian soldiers who died during the war, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv
Photo: Anadolu

Divisions between Washington and European capitals over Iran fuel concerns about US commitment to peace deal, ‘The Guardian’ writes.

Efforts to end the war in Ukraine have largely stalled since the Iran war began, with trilateral talks between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington, which had already yielded little, frozen since February 2026. The war, meanwhile, has continued, with air attacks on Ukrainian cities and heavy fighting on the battlefields as Russia launches a spring offensive.

But the war in Iran has exposed divisions between Washington and its European allies more starkly than at any point since Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022 and fuelled concerns in Europe over the depth of US commitment to any potential peace deal.

One European official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “You can see Trump’s team is running out of patience in Ukraine and wants a quick solution.”

The official said that recent US rhetoric risks convincing Moscow that Washington is not serious about its long-term support for Ukraine. Frustrated by European reluctance to become more directly involved in the Middle East conflict, Trump has in recent days described Ukraine as “not our war” and openly questioned his continued support for NATO. The European official said: “Ukraine is rightfully questioning whether these American security guarantees really stand for anything.”

Two European officials said there was growing concern that Trump, eager for a geopolitical win before the midterm elections, could increase the pressure on Kyiv to cede territory it still controls in the Donbas, eastern Ukraine, which is Russia’s central demand in the talks.

“From the start of the war, Putin has believed time is on his side,” said a person familiar with Kremlin thinking. “The talks had already lost momentum and were going nowhere.”

At the same time, Kyiv faces mounting financial pressure. Ukraine risks running out of funds to sustain its defence within months, with Hungary’s vetoing of a €90bn EU package underscoring the fragility of western support.

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