US President Donald Trump promised to conclude a new security agreement for Ukraine that “may include all of Europe,” after meeting with a high-level Russian envoy on Thursday. However, the proposal still lacks details, which has baffled European capitals.
Trump told reporters on Thursday: “It will be a very big agreement. It will not be limited to Ukraine only, but it may include all of Europe. It will be a big, wonderful agreement, and everyone will feel very happy,” without going into any additional details.
The US President's statements, who had previously promised on several occasions to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, came after his meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian sovereign wealth fund subject to sanctions, and who works as an envoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the same context, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, published a statement on the “X” platform, previously Twitter, on Thursday, in which he indicated the necessity of a “broader European security architecture,” with the aim of “addressing the security concerns of all parties, reducing the risks of future conflicts, and creating a more stable and predictable security environment.”
Kushner said in his statement: “For more than 30 years, Europe and Russia have faced difficulties in establishing a sustainable security framework. Decades of mistrust, conflicting security concerns, and the devastating repercussions of this war make this challenge extremely difficult, but at the same time necessary to achieve lasting peace.”
Kushner did not indicate that Russia was the one that invaded Ukraine, nor did he address the series of hybrid attacks that European countries accuse Moscow of being behind.
Kushner also called for "enhancing military transparency and taking reciprocal measures to reduce the risks of escalation" between Russia and Europe, a call that may raise concern in some European circles, especially in light of the consistent Russian position that considers the presence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Eastern Europe to be an escalation in itself.
He added that the United States recently held talks with Ukraine, NATO and other European partners, noting that Trump had “pushed forward” security-related discussions with European leaders. However, a number of European officials familiar with the conflict told CNN they did not know what Trump was referring to.
On Thursday, Trump held a conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, one of Ukraine's most prominent supporters. A German government official refused to go into details of the contact, but pointed out that the new ideas put forward by the Trump administration are based on negotiations that took place during the past months.
It is not clear whether Trump has spoken to other European leaders.
Meanwhile, Alison Hart, a spokeswoman for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), confirmed that talks will be held in Brussels, on Thursday, between the alliance, the United States, Ukraine, the European Union and other European partners, ahead of the upcoming trilateral meeting between the United States, Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi next week.
Hart said the meeting "sought to advance a just and sustainable end to the war in Ukraine," but she declined to reveal any additional details.
Dmitriev was present at the White House, on Thursday, to participate in an event organized by US First Lady Melania Trump, which brought together representatives of Russia and Ukraine to celebrate the success of the ceasefire that was reached last week in the Ukrainian town of Oleshki, which is under Russian occupation.
In statements to reporters later, Trump said that he did not meet with the Ukrainian delegation.
Trump recently renewed his efforts to reach a negotiated settlement to end the war in Ukraine, following a public dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Despite these promises, the war continues to rage, while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians on a daily basis. In an attack earlier this week, Moscow dropped nine bombs on an underground shelter as people gathered inside to receive humanitarian aid, killing at least 53 people, in one of the deadliest attacks during a conflict now in its fifth year.
