The US does not yet wish to participate in the European gamble in Ukraine – In Paris Witkoff dodges hard US commitment to Kyiv

Steve Witkoff (right) – Trump's man
Photo: NBC News

The leaders of France and the U.K. announced today that they signed a declaration of intent to send their troops to Ukrainian soil if Russia reinvades in the future. The dramatic moment in Paris means new backup for Ukrainian Zelenskyy — but also highlighted the lack of any concrete U.S. pledges, POLITICO writes.

“Following a ceasefire the U.K. and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that Berlin would “contribute to strengthening Ukraine,” which could include “stationing forces for Ukraine in neighboring NATO territory after a ceasefire.”

Going into today’s meeting, European leaders were once again expressing optimism that they’d get a U.S. commitment on security guarantees. A statement from the European Commission pointed to a “proposed U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism” — but the U.S. didn’t sign it, and a statement from Witkoff didn’t mention it.

The upbeat declarations in Paris will not allay the doubts swirling over the U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine and the European continent. While it was initially hoped that Washington would commit to a joint statement on the security guarantees, the final declaration was ultimately only signed by the coalition of the willing.

Details of American participation in the multinational force for Ukraine were removed from an earlier draft, seen by POLITICO. That version had stipulated the U.S. would commit to "support the force if it is attacked" and assist with intelligence and logistics.

Leaders also did not want to be drawn on the credibility of U.S. commitments in the wake of the capture by U.S. forces of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and President Donald Trump’s threat to seize Greenland.

Starmer said “we’ve made some real progress” on the security guarantees including on ceasefire monitoring and an operation headquarters in Paris.

The nature of American participation in security guarantees is still very much unclear, according to a person close to the U.S.-Europe-Ukraine negotiations. “It’s uncertain as to what length the U.S. is willing to go in terms of its commitments,” said the person, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations. The person pointed to a recent reorganization of Zelenskyy’s government as an indication that Kyiv is girding itself in case peace talks fail.

Russia has already said it won’t accept foreign military forces inside Ukraine, although Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last month that it was “a subject for discussion.” It’s unclear if the latest commitments will pressure Russia, or make it even less likely that Moscow agrees to a deal.

European leaders also appeared anxious not to let tensions over the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, or renewed threats from Washington to take Greenland, intrude on the already dicey Ukraine discussions.

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