EU worries over lack of Trump security guarantees for Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron was unable to get concrete reassurances from United States President Donald Trump on American security guarantees for Ukraine when at the White House this week, according to European Union officials and diplomats.

On Wednesday morning, the French president debriefed EU leaders about his visit to Washington in a hastily convened 30-minute video conference. 

“[Macron] said that Trump did not give any clear promises regarding the backstop. So, indeed, strategic ambiguity on this question remains,” an EU diplomat said. 

Despite the U.S. and Russia holding talks to end the war that exclude Kyiv and Europe, capitals including Paris and London are trying to set up a peacekeeping mission for Ukraine if there is an agreement. 

Security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent another Russian attack are a key question, with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heading to Washington this week with the shared objective of wresting military pledges from the U.S. 

On the heels of a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump remained ambiguous on any guarantees the U.S. would provide, despite the critical minerals deal that Zelenskyy is about to sign in Washington this week.

“I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We’re going to have Europe do that, because … Europe is their next-door neighbor, but we’re going to make sure everything goes well,” Trump said.

While the Trump administration made clear that no U.S. troops would participate, Europeans are still hoping the U.S. can provide a backstop that could include intelligence gathering, air defense and military transportation. 

“This was a waste of time,” said a senior EU official who took part in the meeting. 

“We as Europe are in this rather alone now,” a second diplomat said. 

Some level of U.S. participation in any European military deployment to Ukraine is crucial: Starmer, who’s meeting Trump on Thursday, recently said that there must be a “U.S. backstop” after a peace deal is signed to deter Russia. Germany’s next likely chancellor Friedrich Merz meanwhile dashed to Paris on Wednesday to follow up on Macron’s conversations with Trump. 

With confusion over what the U.S. will do in Ukraine, European leaders are trying to hammer out a common line.

The French president debriefed EU leaders about his visit to Washington in a hastily convened 30-minute video conference. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A meeting is to be held in London on Sunday between Starmer and EU leaders on joint plans for defense and security. 

This will be followed by a European Council gathering EU leaders on March 6. 

As part of their regular Wednesday meetings, the EU ambassadors discussed what a lasting peace would look like for the EU and what security guarantees the EU could provide, according to a third diplomat. 

There was also talk of appointing an EU special representative who would take part in any peace talks on behalf of the bloc, the office of European Council President António Costa told the ambassadors, according to three diplomats. Two other diplomats said there was little response from ambassadors to the proposal.

However, so far Trump has shown no interest in letting any Europeans take part in the talks he is holding with Russia.

The Elysée didn’t reply to a request for comment. 

Giorgio Leali, Nektaria Stamouli, Jamie Dettmer, Victor Jack and Gabriel Gavin contributed reporting.