US wants to arm Ukraine with American weapons at Europe's expense - Reuters

If formalized, the plan would instill some confidence in Ukrainian leaders who are concerned that President Donald Trump could block further aid.

European countries have previously purchased US weapons for Ukraine under the Biden administration.

According to the sources, US officials, including Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, will discuss possible arms purchases with European allies this week during the Munich Security Conference.

They added that this is one of several ideas the administration is discussing to potentially continue to supply American weapons to Kyiv without spending significant amounts of American money.

In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Kellogg declined to confirm the plan, but said: “The US always likes selling weapons made in America because it strengthens our economy..”

“There are a lot of options out there. Everything is in play right now,” Kellogg said, adding that shipments previously approved by former President Joe Biden were still flowing to Ukraine. “There's not necessarily any need in the next 24 hours to it any different,” he said.

In recent days, US officials have said that the Trump administration wants to recoup the billions Washington has spent on the war in Ukraine and that Europe needs to do more to help.

“I think an underlying principle here is that the Europeans have to own this conflict going forward,” US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told NBC News on Sunday.

It is unclear whether the US plans to ask European countries to buy US weapons under commercial contracts or directly from US stockpiles. Some commercial contracts can last for years.

For several weeks now, the Trump administration has been discussing whether and how to continue arming Ukraine.

During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to cut off all aid to Ukraine. But some of his advisers behind the scenes have argued that Washington should continue to provide military support to Kyiv, especially if peace talks are postponed until the end of this year.

During his time in office, Biden has approved more than $65 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including billions of dollars in the final months of his administration.

However, officials in Kyiv, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have said that Ukraine needs additional security guarantees before entering into talks with Moscow.

The Trump White House is likely to face serious resistance from some Republicans if it tries to request additional funding from Congress.

Administration officials see the arms deal with Europe as a potential workaround that allows Washington to support Kyiv without spending US taxpayer dollars. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said last month that Europe would pay for American weapons for Ukraine.

“The brink of a breakup”

Washington and Moscow have put forward opposing versions of the prospects for peace talks, fueling speculation about the extent to which the Trump administration will be able to convince Ukraine and Russia to come to the table in the coming months.

On Sunday, Trump said that he had been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and believed that the United States was making progress in talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Following Trump's comments, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters that relations with Washington were “balancing on the brink of a breakup,” saying that Ukraine should abandon its NATO membership application and withdraw from regions occupied by Russian forces.

Two government sources said that the White House is likely to formalize a peace plan to end the fighting in a few months and that it needs to work out many other issues before starting negotiations.

Several US officials are traveling to Europe this week to help prepare the ground for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Kellogg plans to discuss increasing aid to Kyiv with European leaders at the Munich Security Conference.

“I wouldn't say we're at the beginning of the [peace planning process] because we've been thinking through it,” Kellogg said, adding that US officials will meet with their European counterparts this week to "deliver our expectations to the allies.”

“More importantly, we want to hear from them,” he said.

US officials also hope to formally conclude a deal with Ukraine that would give America access to the country's rich reserves in exchange for continued aid.

Details of such an agreement have not been made public. The development of Ukraine's reserves will likely take years, and the US will not realize immediate profits from the sales. However, the Trump administration views the deal as a critical component of its policy toward Ukraine.