European leaders discuss Ukraine security plans

European leaders are holding follow-up meetings after Monday's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky. The discussions are centered on the outcomes from Washington's events and how to proceed with security guarantees for Kyiv. The talks are aimed at ending Russia's three-year war on Ukraine. Let's get more on this now with DW correspondent Terry Schultz in Brussels. Terry, EU leaders are meeting now to try to digest what happened in Washington yesterday. Tell us where things stand. That's right. The EU 27 is now meeting. Some of those leaders, of course, were in the room with Presidents Trump and Zelensky yesterday. So I'm sure their counterparts are very eager to hear what they learned there. And hopefully it's more than what we got in public statements after the meetings because we didn't learn a whole lot about these security guarantees. And just in the last hour, there was also a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. Again, including some of those leaders who were present in the room in Washington. And they are very much focused on the military and reassurance measures that may be taken in an eventual ceasefire for Ukraine. So, yeah, everyone here in Brussels and around the European capitals very much trying to figure out where things stand now after the Washington meetings. A lot of the conversation in the White House meetings, Terry, centered on security guarantees for Ukraine. Do we know what these could be? Well, these are changing all the time because there is this very optimistic new element that the U.S., President Trump himself, is openly stating that the U.S. will contribute to security guarantees. Now, in months past, the U.S. said specifically that it would not and that Europeans would be on their own to figure out what these parameters would look like. So this is really good news for the Europeans and for Ukraine. But I don't think we know yet exactly what those contributions would look like. And that is, in fact, what the leaders stated when they came out of the meeting yesterday. And there's just been a briefing by the European Commission where they were peppered with questions about what contributions the U.S. would make. And they said they don't know yet either. But there has been a lot of discussion over the months about what it could be, about what the Europeans would need the U.S. to provide. And this could be that perhaps the Europeans provide the troops. And, again, these are troops that are expected to monitor a ceasefire in an eventual peace plan. But then that the U.S. would provide really the sort of teeth in case any peace agreement would be violated by the Russians. And that could include intelligence. This is something that the Europeans are still reliant on the U.S. for within NATO, for example. It could also include the U.S. stationing actual military resources, including aircraft, military aircraft, fighter aircraft nearby, so that if there were a violation, if, for example, Russians did attack European soldiers, that the U.S. could swoop in very quickly and basically provide a reaction to that. You mentioned, Terry, the possibility of European countries sending troops to Ukraine. How popular is that idea among European countries? This depends, Terry, on what kind of boots you're talking about. Nobody wants to send fighting boots to Ukraine. There is no country that says it's willing to send its citizens into the battlefield. Nobody is talking about that. And even Ukraine is not asking for that. So they're very much talking about sort of ceasefire boots, monitoring boots, forces that would be stationed perhaps along the lines that are agreed in an eventual peace plan, where the Russian troops, unfortunately for Ukraine, would be allowed to stay. And this would be monitoring the cessation of hostilities. This is what Europeans have said they are willing to do. Only some countries. Now, a lot of governments have said, you know what, we have to see what the parameters look like in this ceasefire deal, what kind of protections we would have for our own people. And that, of course, as I mentioned before, will largely be coming from the United States. So they've had a way to say we can't answer that question yet because we don't know what kind of protection would be provided for our people. Now that that has moved with the U.S. saying that it will contribute, I think that Europeans are going to come under a lot more pressure to say exactly what they're going to be willing to do in an eventual monitoring or reinforcement force for Ukraine. Terry, thank you very much. That was our correspondent Terry Schultz in Brussels. Well, Monday's White House summit was an unprecedented gathering of European leaders who traveled to Washington on short notice to back up Ukraine after President Trump's Alaska meeting with Vladimir Putin. With many European leaders insisting that Ukraine is vital to their own security, they were there in solidarity for President Zelensky. The latest meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky at the White House went decidedly better than February's infamous debacle. The U.S. president said he felt progress had been made towards ending Russia's war against Ukraine. Essentially, I'm optimistic that collectively we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine. And I actually think there won't be. I think that's even over overrated, largely overrated, but we're going to find out. We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taken into consideration the current line of contact. That means the war zone. Trump later said he had called Vladimir Putin to arrange a meeting between the Russian president and his Ukrainian counterpart. Zelensky said Kyiv is ready for talks, but only at leadership level. We just confirmed after this productive meeting with the president and then with all our colleagues, partners, we confirmed that we are ready for a trilateral meeting. And if Russia proposed to the president of the United States bilateral and then we will see the result of bilateral and then it can be trilateral. So I said always so Ukraine will never stop on the way to peace. And we are ready for any kind of format, but on the level of leaders. Trump and Zelensky were joined in Washington by a host of European leaders in a show of solidarity for Ukraine. Asked if German peacekeeping troops might soon be involved, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the security of Ukraine was something all of Europe must help guarantee. This isn't just about Ukraine's territory. It's about the political order of Europe. And there Germany has a major interest and a major responsibility. So being involved for me is clear to what extent we have to discuss that in Europe. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who was among those at the White House, warned of more European and US sanctions should Moscow not play ball on direct talks with Kiev. For some analysis, let's bring in Boris Pormann here. He's a political analyst and director of the politics section at Bard College here in Berlin. Boris, President Zelensky described Trump's willingness to help provide security guarantees to Ukraine as historic. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called it a breakthrough. Do you agree? Well, unfortunately, we don't know exactly what the security guarantees are supposed to imply. Trump himself spoke of very good protection. His special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Whitkoff, spoke of NATO-like guarantees. But we don't know what the peacekeeping force would look like. We don't know what kinds of troops would be committed, what the specific support and involvement of the US would actually be. So, of course, I mean, Zelensky will underline any progress that will be made. But it's very unclear at this point. And hopefully next week or two, we'll find out more what exactly Trump meant by that. Well, whatever Donald Trump meant, and I guess we will be finding out soon, we also know that he has repeatedly shifted his stance on the war. Do you feel that Donald Trump's promises can be trusted? Well, I think European leaders have no other chance but to take him by his word. But on the other hand, I think you're absolutely right. Trump has very much shifted his positions on many international issues. It doesn't seem like Trump really has anything like a Trump doctrine in mind or a specific vision of a global order. Oftentimes, this seems to be about his personal position and the way he can secure his own power. He has brought up the Nobel Peace Prize many times. I think he has his eye on that still. But it's difficult to tell how much he will commit to Ukraine ultimately. Now, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, he went to the White House accompanied by European and NATO leaders. How important would you say their presence was there? That, too, remains to be seen. There is a recurring pattern that Trump does sometimes in meetings align with the persons he talks to. But after a week or two, that position changes again. I think it was important for Europe to show a united stance, which it did do. It's also interesting, nonetheless, to see that Europe can only speak in a unified way by bringing together so many state leaders. Historically, what has happened in building states is that you need concentration at the top to be able to secure your territory. Europe at the moment is united, but there will need to be some institutional consolidation for Europe to defend itself if things come to pass. Now, Donald Trump likes to simplify things. He has now come around to describing Russia's war in Ukraine as very complex. Do you think the U.S. president has the capacity and patience needed to mediate a peace deal here? Or is there a risk he might lose interest? I think he's right that it's very complex, as is every geopolitical issue. And there are many others on the table. I think what we're seeing here is a symptom of an international order that has lost its stability in the last couple of years. Trump is also a symptom of that change, of that shifting terrain. If he has the interest and will be able to keep up the interest to support some kind of a peace deal remains to be seen. I mean, as long as the Nobel Prize for him is still a possibility, I think, yes, very much so. But, I mean, these things change so fast. It depends on domestic politics also, how much he is interested and dedicated. So we'll have to see, unfortunately. I can't say much more than that. Well, just briefly, how significant do you think Donald Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin is in shaping discussions on Ukraine? I mean, in the last couple of months, there were moments when Trump was turning away from Putin and also criticizing him quite harshly. In the last couple of days, especially with the meeting, of course, we've seen that he seems to be in a very cordial relationship with him. It was possible to notice also in his first administration that he seems to admire to some extent this strongman image that Putin has. So there seems to be some kind of a bond that might be important. But Trump is right. It is a complex situation, and it's very difficult to tell if this will suffice. I think what's important to note is Putin hasn't really achieved his goals here. He wants Russia to be a superpower. He wants to destabilize the West. And so the question is if he really wants to end the war. Boris, thank you very much for speaking with us today. That was political analyst Boris Forman. Let's look at a wider European reaction to yesterday's meeting with Alexandra von Neumann. She's a former Brussels bureau chief and now heads our Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe department. Welcome, Alexandra. So the Europeans were out in force in the White House yesterday. Did they get what they wanted? Well, the meeting went better than anticipated. That is the assessment of Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor. That's what he said in his press conference after the event in the White House. And the atmosphere there was friendly, cordial. And there were, I think, two key developments. First of all, of course, the fact that Donald Trump has made clear he is determined to facilitate a meeting between Zelensky and Putin, so direct talks between the two parties. And now he owns it. And the second development was that he has acknowledged that Ukraine needs security guarantees. And I think for the very first time he also said that the U.S. will be involved in that and help the Europeans. Did the Europeans get everything they wanted? No, that's not the case because, of course, they wanted to convince Trump that a ceasefire is a necessity before any talks could start. They were not successful in convincing him of that. And they also wanted to have a seat at the table when Trump meets again with Zelensky and Putin. And that is, at the moment, not likely to happen. OK, let's explore those ideas a little further. We'll start with the notion of a ceasefire. Donald Trump was previously in favour of a ceasefire. He's now reversed his position on that, despite that being the position of the Europeans. And, of course, Russia's attacks then continued overnight. What do you think has changed the American president's mind about the idea of a ceasefire? Well, I think it was the meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska because what we have heard from Donald Trump on different occasions was a bit contradictory. He was saying he wants a ceasefire, he wants to stop the killing, the killing will stop. And now he's saying, well, it's not necessary. He's going for the big goal of a peace agreement for Ukraine and Russia. And I think that has to do with what he heard from Vladimir Putin. We understand that Putin is not willing to agree to a ceasefire. Some people in Europe, many European leaders, believe he's not willing to end the war at all. And I think that what Trump is saying is what he believes that is achievable in talks with Putin. And a ceasefire is apparently not on the table. So, a ceasefire and security guarantees also talked about yesterday. What could Europe provide and how much are they still dependent on support from the US? The Europeans have been speaking about negotiating potential security guarantees for Ukraine behind closed doors for quite a while. Now there are different options on the table, according to the British Prime Minister Starmer. A force could be assembled on the ground, drawn from the so-called Coalition of the Willing, those countries, more than 30 countries who are supporting Ukraine with weapons and military equipment. But the big question is how big the force could be. Will it be armed? Because to have a real deterrence, to deter Russia from further attacks, should there be a peace deal, you would need tens of thousands of troops on the ground in Ukraine. Will the force be much smaller and will that deter the Russians from further attacks? Or is it going to be only an observer force, something that we saw in 2014 in eastern Ukraine that did not work out? So, all that is being discussed right now. And of course, the Europeans and other nations who would be willing to participate and assemble such a force would definitely need the US support, intelligence reports, logistics support and air support. And that is why it's so important that Trump has said that the US will be involved in security guarantees for Ukraine. Thanks for that, Alexandra. Alexandra von Naumann is head of DW's Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe Department. Well, during the Leaders' Summit, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the need for a ceasefire. We all would like to see a ceasefire, the latest from the next meeting on. I can't imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire. So, let's work on that and let's try to put pressure on Russia, because the credibility of these efforts we are undertaking today are depending on at least a ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations from next step on. Let's get more on this from our Chief Political Editor Michaela Kufner. Welcome, Michaela. What does the Chancellor's statement tell us about Germany's priorities in this? It shows us that the Chancellor spoke up for Ukraine directly. That is a key concern of Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's President, to have that ceasefire, to stop the killing, so that Vladimir Putin can't simply drag out this process while he puts all he has into securing more territory and killing more Ukrainians. Of course, Putin is unbothered by the fact that he's losing lives, Russian lives, to the tune of around a thousand a day. That's some of the figures that are being cited. It also demonstrates how clearly the Europeans sitting around the table had divided up their roles. This happened according to a closely coordinated playbook that they'd agreed also in advance. They all spoke on the phone on Sunday. They had that pre-meeting, dividing up who raises what. Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, for instance, she raised the humanitarian issue, stressing that she herself is a grandmother, that the children need to be saved. Also, once again, referring to that letter that the US First Lady wrote to Vladimir Putin, calling for children, all children, to return to their homes. So, this seems to have gone smoothly. It is rare European unity and teamwork that we saw at play there at the White House. And, Michaela, there was an odd moment before the leaders sat down when President Trump was caught on a hot mic apparently speaking about Vladimir Putin. We'll have a listen to that and then come back to you. Michaela Kuffner, what's your take on this hot mic moment? Well, this is Donald Trump reportedly referring to Vladimir Putin, saying, I think he wants to make a deal for me. I know it sounds crazy. It's him addressing the French president. And this is the closest indication yet that there seems to be something of a friendship, this admiration for Vladimir Putin. And that's really what is being perceived as the biggest risk here, because all of this seemed to be about exchanging positions, working on the way forward. We've been there before. The Europeans have, where they secured agreement from US President Donald Trump that he would push for a ceasefire. Now he's dropped that demand altogether. That is proof that the Europeans may try and get aligned with their own biggest military supporter within NATO, the United States. But they can never be sure of Donald Trump going off road at the very last moment. And this also, to put a positive look at this as well, creates previously unknown unity amongst European states because the stakes are so high and the risk is very high of division. Thanks Michaela. Michaela Kuffner is DW's chief political editor.