Rubio to meet with advisers on Ukraine and Europe - NYT
Marco Rubio (photo: Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks on Thursday, August 21, with national security advisors from Ukraine and several European countries. The discussions will focus on developing security guarantees for Ukraine, according to The New York Times.
“he national security advisers from those countries plan to meet on Thursday with Mr. Rubio, according to one person familiar with the plans,” the New York Times report states.
A Trump administration official, cited by journalists, described the meeting as delicate diplomatic negotiations.
The New York Times writes that Mr. Rubio will have to persuade the Europeans that the mercurial Mr. Trump will stick to his commitment to help them defend Ukraine without doing so under the banner of NATO.
An administration official said the talks will determine what security guarantees might look like ahead of a potential meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.
For example, in exchange for Russia ceasing hostilities, a security pact could include US commitments to provide air support for any Europe-led operations if Russian forces resume an offensive. It could also involve US assistance in surveillance and intelligence to support missions in Ukraine, as well as naval forces to protect the Black Sea.
Another key aspect of the negotiations is the legal weight of the security guarantees, including whether they require approval from the US Congress.
Security guarantees for Ukraine
During a meeting at the White House on August 18 between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders, the key topic of discussion was security guarantees for Ukraine. Allies are considering providing them along the lines of NATO’s Article 5, but outside the Alliance.
Donald Trump did not rule out that the US could provide Ukraine with air support as part of these security guarantees.
At the same time, the Coalition of the Willing declared its readiness to deploy deterrence forces on Ukrainian territory.
According to RBC-Ukraine, Russia is reportedly willing to agree to security guarantees for Ukraine. However, these guarantees would need to be implemented on an equal footing, involving China, the US, the UK, and France.
