08/20/2025August 20, 2025
Ukraine security guarantees top of agenda for NATO defense leaders’ meeting
NATO military chiefs are set to hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday as Europe seeks to determine possible future security guarantees for Ukraine.
The proposals could help create the foundations of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of NATO’s Military Committee, said on Tuesday that 32 defense chiefs from across the alliance would hold a video conference, and that US Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, would also participate.
The meeting comes after US President Donald Trump hosted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska, and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House over recent days.
Prominent European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, were present with Zelenskyy on Monday.
With Trump pushing for a settlement between Ukraine and Russia, Kyiv has demands for Western-backed military assurances to ensure the Kremlin won’t mount another invasion.
“We need strong security guarantees to ensure a truly secure and lasting peace,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post on Wednesday.
Kyiv’s European allies are looking to set up a force that could backstop any peace agreement, and a coalition of 30 countries, including European nations, Japan and Australia, have signed up to support the initiative.
The role the US would play remains unclear, with Trump saying on Tuesday he would not send US troops to help defend Ukraine on the ground. Russia has maintained it would not accept NATO troops in Ukraine.
