In an effort to advance the rush of international diplomacy aimed at mediating an end to Russia’s war, NATO military commanders were scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss the specifics of future security guarantees for Ukraine.
However, Ukrainian officials reported additional casualties from Moscow’s weapons, and Russian soldiers announced new ground advances Wednesday, despite ongoing diplomatic attempts.
The virtual gathering of military commanders from the 32 NATO member nations is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm (1230 GMT), but not much information has emerged about it.
But on Tuesday evening top US officer Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with European military chiefs on the “best options for a potential Ukraine peace deal,” a US defence official told AFP.
US President Donald Trump brought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to the White House Monday, three days after his landmark encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Trump, who has long been an outspoken opponent of the US’s billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022, had earlier said that European countries were “willing to put people on the ground” in order to obtain any deal. Instead of sending US troops, he said, the US would offer air support.
However, many of the specifics are still unclear, so Kyiv and Western capitals have reacted carefully to Trump’s claim that Putin has agreed to see Zelensky and accept some Western security guarantees for Ukraine.
