Bloomberg: US refuses to provide aerial cover for European deterrent forces in Ukraine

The US has refused to provide air defense as a security guarantee for the deterrent forces that the UK and France plan to deploy in Ukraine after the war with Russia.

This is reported by Bloomberg.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer believes this guarantee from Washington is necessary to deter Russia from violating any future peace agreements. However, according to sources, European officials understood during their conversations with American representatives that Donald Trump would not provide the security guarantees for the "Coalition of the Willing" that had been hoped for.

London and Paris have been urging the US president not only to provide air support to European forces but also to help monitor the border between Ukraine and Russia and provide intelligence. Some in Europe hope that Trump will intervene if British or French troops become targets for Moscow in Ukraine. But putting that guarantee in writing is unlikely, the sources said.

In addition, European governments have revised their assessment of what is needed to deter Russia. They now believe that a combination of the Ukrainian army, allied training, the presence of partner forces, the deployment of aircraft on NATO’s eastern flank, and patrolling the Black Sea will be sufficient.

The deployment of joint allied forces in post-war Ukraine depends on the conclusion of a peace agreement, which, according to European officials, is increasingly difficult to achieve, writes Bloomberg.

Trump is scheduled to meet with allies at the G7 summit in Canada and at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit later in June. NATO will call on Europe and Canada to increase their stockpiles of weapons and equipment by about 30% over the next few years. That would mean a significant increase in funding from capitals.

• The idea of deploying European troops in Ukraine emerged in February, after talks between the US and Russia on ending the war without the participation of Europe and Kyiv. It had been on the agenda for some time — leaders of various countries expressed their readiness or unwillingness to send troops to Ukraine. In particular, it was about different options for deploying these fighters — for example, behind the future demarcation line in Ukraine, and not directly on it. Some of the countries expressed the opinion that it was too early to talk about it — there were no real hints of a ceasefire. In the end, talks about a European peacekeeping mission in Ukraine did not lead to real action.
• In late May, British and French officials agreed to shift the focus from peacekeeping to ensuring Ukraine’s long-term defense without American support. They discussed the need to “be realistic” about Trump’s involvement in the negotiation process.

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