US presents EU states with list of questions on Ukraine – Reuters
The US has privately reached out to its European allies, quizzing them on their readiness to support Ukraine through further aid and military deployments, according to Reuters.
US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy on Ukraine Keith Kellogg made it clear over the weekend that European officials would not be present when Washington and Moscow sit down at the negotiating table.
The US sent out a document consisting of six questions to gauge which countries would continue to support Kiev, and what they would want from Washington, Reuters wrote, citing a copy seen by the agency.
“What additional capabilities, equipment, and maintenance sustainment options is your Government prepared to provide to Ukraine to improve its negotiating hand and increase pressure on Russia?” one question reportedly read.
Another asked “If third Country military forces were to be deployed to Ukraine as part of a peace arrangement, what would you consider to be the necessary size of such a European-led force?”
Reuters noted that there were also questions regarding the particulars of where, how, and for how long such a force could be deployed.
In one question, the European countries were asked which states they believed would participate, and in another if they themselves would be willing to send soldiers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, Reuters wrote. They were also asked what they expected the US and its allies to be prepared to do in the event of a clash with Russian forces.
The European states were also asked what steps and resources they would require from the US in order to participate in these security arrangements, the agency said.
EU officials fear that Trump will push the costs of post-war reconstruction and security efforts onto them, the Financial Times said last week. “Trump sees us as money,” the newspaper cited one anonymous official as saying.
The US president has demanded that the European states in NATO ramp up their defense spending and Ukraine aid, claiming that Washington had contributed disproportionately more so far.
Trump also demanded a return on the aid the US has thus far sent to Ukraine, demanding the “equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths” to repay the “more than $300 billion” he claimed Washington has provided Kiev since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022.
