Trump Assigns Rubio to Lead Security Guarantee Talks on Ukraine – NYT
U.S. President Donald Trump has tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio with spearheading negotiations with European leaders on proposed security guarantees for Ukraine.
The Gaze reports this, referring to The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the matter.
Rubio’s mission will require balancing two competing priorities: Trump’s insistence that no American troops be stationed in Ukraine, and the need to reassure President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Kyiv will receive credible backing should Russian President Vladimir Putin violate a future peace agreement and launch renewed aggression.
The State Department chief will also have to convince European allies that Trump, often described as unpredictable, can be relied upon to uphold U.S. commitments to defend Ukraine without framing the arrangement under NATO’s umbrella.
A senior Trump administration official told the paper that Rubio has begun “sensitive diplomatic discussions” with counterparts from Ukraine and other European partners.
“From a European perspective, I think everyone is quite happy that Rubio is leading the working group, because he’s definitely perceived as the one who is most competent to come up with something that could actually work,” said Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations.
She also noted that European leaders generally hold a less favorable opinion of other Trump administration officials. However, Rubio has built strong relationships in Europe over the years during his tenure in the Senate, where he served on both the intelligence and foreign relations committees.
Sources indicated that national security advisers from several allied nations are scheduled to meet Rubio on Thursday, August 21, to discuss the potential framework of such guarantees ahead of a possible Zelenskyy-Putin summit.
Administration officials have stressed that Washington envisions only a limited role for the U.S. in any long-term arrangement, with Vice President J.D. Vance recently stating that European nations should assume the “lion’s share” of financial responsibilities for Ukraine’s security.
As The Gaze reported earlier, the US Treasury Secretary stated that the 10% tariff imposed by Donald Trump on arms sales to Europe could be used to finance security guarantees for Ukraine, in particular to cover the costs of air defense for peacekeeping initiatives.