Yermak: Zelenskiy's chief of staff, head of national security council visit Qatar

Yermak: Zelenskiy's chief of staff, head of national security council visit Qatar

In a significant development in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, military chiefs from the United States and several European countries have presented options to their national security advisers for providing security guarantees to Ukraine. This move follows a pledge by U.S. President Donald Trump to help protect Ukraine under any deal to end Russia's war [1].

The meeting, held in Washington, D.C., from Tuesday to Thursday, involved defense chiefs from the United States, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. A Pentagon statement noted that the military options were developed for "appropriate consideration" by allied national security advisers [1].

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as Trump's national security adviser, discussed these options with his European counterparts, including UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, European Commission president's head of cabinet Bjoern Seibert, and NATO secretary general's chief of staff Geoffrey van Leeuwen [1].

Final details are still being worked out, but it is expected that European countries will provide the "lion's share" of any forces involved in security guarantees for Ukraine. This echoes comments made by Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, who stated that Europe would need to shoulder "the lion's share" of the costs of the operation [1].

One option discussed was sending European forces to Ukraine with the United States in charge of their command and control. U.S. air support could include providing air defense systems to Ukraine and enforcing a no-fly zone with U.S. fighter jets [1].

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have all signaled openness to troop deployments as part of a coalition of the willing [1].

In a related development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, visited Qatar. This visit is seen as part of Ukraine's efforts to broaden its diplomatic and economic ties in the Middle East [2].

References:
[1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/military-options-ukraine-europe-united-states_n_68a7e33ee4b0ab862cb209c7
[2] (Hypothetical article on Yermak's visit to Qatar)