NATO chiefs develop “open conversations” about security guarantees for Ukraine

NATO defence chiefs held on Wednesday a “open discussion of possible security guarantees that could provide Kiev to help achieve a peace agreement that would end Russia's three-year fight against Ukraine, a senior military alliance official said.

Italian Admiral Giuseppe Dragone, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, stressed that 32 defence chiefs from all over the alliance held a video conference as part of US-led diplomatic efforts to end the fighting.

He said there was a “great and open-ended” between them.

I thanked everyone for the always active participation in these meetings: we are united, and this unity was really clear today, as always”, he wrote on the social X network, not giving more details.

The guarantee that Ukraine will not be conquered again in the future is one of the keys to persuade it to sign a peace agreement with Russia.

Ukraine seeks Western assistance for its army, including weapons and training, to strengthen defence, while Western officials are trying to determine what vows they can offer.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticised efforts to work on security guarantees for Ukraine without Moscow's involvement.

We cannot agree with the fact that it is now proposed to resolve collective security issues without the Russian Federation. This will not work”, Lavrov said on Wednesday, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

The American General, Alexandrus Grinkeich, NATO's supreme commander in Europe, participated in the virtual talks, Dragone said.

Also, American General Dan Caine, chairman of Chiefs of General Staff, was expected to attend, according to a US defence official.

Caine also met with European military chiefs Tuesday evening in Washington to assess the best military options for political leaders, according to the defence official, who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

US President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last Friday, and on Monday received Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky and other European leaders to the White House. None of the meetings brought concrete progress.

Trump is trying to reconcile Putin and Zelensky for a peace agreement, more than three years after Russia began its neighbour's full conquest, but there are major obstacles.

These include Ukraine's demands for Western-backed guarantees for military protection to ensure that Russia does not start another invasion in the coming years.

“We need strong security guarantees to ensure a truly stable and long-term peace”, Zelensky wrote on Telegram Wednesday following Russian missile attacks and fears that hit six Ukraine regions overnight.

Kiev's European allies are looking at the possibility of creating a force that can support any peace agreement, and a coalition of 30 states, including European countries, Japan and Australia, has committed to supporting this initiative.

Military chiefs are investigating how that security force can work.

The role the United States can play remains unclear. Trump ruled out Tuesday the possibility of sending American troops to help protect Ukraine against Russia. / REL/ Periscopi/