US, European Military Chiefs Draft Security Options for Ukraine

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2025 — Top U.S. and European military leaders have drawn up security options for Ukraine, sharing proposals with national security advisers this week as discussions continue on how to safeguard the country while its war with Russia grinds on.

The talks follow President Donald Trump’s pledge to include security guarantees for Kyiv in any eventual peace deal. A Pentagon statement confirmed that planners from the U.S. and allied nations developed military options now under review by national security advisers.

Defense chiefs from the United States, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and Ukraine met in Washington between Tuesday and Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio later conferred with European counterparts, including the UK’s Jonathan Powell and senior aides to NATO and the European Commission, to refine the proposals.

According to officials, European nations would be expected to provide the “lion’s share” of troops or resources — a view echoed by Vice President JD Vance earlier this week. Washington is still weighing its role, with Trump ruling out U.S. ground troops but keeping open options for air support, such as more air defense systems or even a no-fly zone enforced by American jets.

European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have backed troop deployments under a “coalition of the willing,” while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has signaled conditional support. Germany’s soldiers’ union warned Thursday that any peacekeeping mission would likely require tens of thousands of European troops for an extended period.

The flurry of planning comes as Trump pushes for a rapid end to Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II — a goal that has raised concern in Kyiv and among allies that Washington could push for terms tilted in Moscow’s favor.