The Pentagon’s top policy official told a small group of allies Tuesday night that the U.S. plans to play a minimal role in any Ukraine security guarantees, one of the clearest signs yet that Europe will need to shoulder the burden of keeping lasting peace in Kyiv.
The comments from Elbridge Colby, the Defense undersecretary for policy, came in response to questions from European military leaders in a huddle led by Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Dan Caine. Defense chiefs from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Finland pushed the U.S. side to disclose what it would provide in troops and air assets to help Ukraine maintain a peace deal with Russia, according to a European official and another person briefed on the talks.
The gathering and another hastily arranged meeting of NATO leaders Wednesday left allies increasingly concerned that President Donald Trump will rely on Europe to ensure a long-term peace once Russia ends its invasion, according to six American and European officials, who, like others, were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.
“There’s the dawning reality that this will be Europe making this happen on the ground,” said a NATO diplomat who was briefed on the talks. “The U.S. is not fully committed to anything.”
The meetings — which occurred days after Trump and European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in a sign of unity — underscore the massive task ahead for allies as they weigh plans to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine and buy more American-made arms for Kyiv.
Trump on Monday said he was ready to send U.S. troops to Ukraine. But hebacktracked on Tuesday, suggesting instead that he was open to providing air support for European troops there.
“I don’t know where that leaves us,” said one of the European officials. “Pretty much back to where we were in the spring with the coalition of the willing.”
U.S. allies in Europe appear skeptical of Colby, who POLITICO reported in June has forged a close alliance with Caine.
Colby conducted a review of U.S. munitions stockpiles this year that led Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in July to briefly freeze American military assistance to Ukraine. And he has long pushed for European allies to do more to defend the continent against Russia. His presence in the talks could signify a more difficult road for Europe to lock down American security support.
“Under Secretary Colby attended last night’s meeting to relay President Trump’s and Secretary Hegseth’s guidance related to security guarantees for Ukraine as we support the president’s historic efforts to end this tragic conflict,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement. “At the event, Under Secretary Colby focused on ensuring the discussion reflected President Trump’s statements on the matter.”
Some European officials cautioned that this week’s meetings are the opening salvo in a series of complex negotiations and horse trading as Europe grapples with a potentially large and costly effort to keep the peace.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who was involved in the White House meeting, briefed 32 NATO members on Wednesday in Brussels on the conversations and began to discuss security guarantees in broad terms, according to a NATO official. Defense chiefs of NATO countries were expected to hold a more detailed video call later in the day.
Alliance members are hoping to come up with workable plans to present to their political leaders, another NATO official said. “Military planning in Europe is being adjusted for any scenario, even as diplomacy continues in parallel.”
The White House has floated Budapest as a possible meeting place for talks between Zelenskyy and Putin, the likely next step in a peace process. But few officials think anything will happen as fast as Trump insists it should.
“The main takeaway is [a peace deal is] is not moving very quickly,” one of the European officials said.
