US declines to back UK and French forces in post-war Europe

Bloomberg reports quoting people familliar with the matter, that US refuses to back combined British and French "reassurance forces" which are supposed to be sent to post-war Ukraine. American officials have not commented on the matter yet; British officials also refused to comment.

The portal reminds that British PM Keir Starmer highlighted that an American backstop is crucial to discourage Russians from breaking any ceasefire resolutions. However, the European allies, as Bloomberg's source claims, realised that President Trump is unlikely to provide the "guarantees they have sought to back the Europe-led 'coalition of the willing.'"

"There must be a US backstop. US security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again," stated Prime Minister Starmer in February. The British and French authorities aimed to get American help in terms of air power, border surveillance, and intelligence. However, as it is rumoured, their attempts ended in a fiasco. Yet, as Bloomberg's source claims, the diplomats have not lost hope.

"European governments have adjusted their assessment of what’s needed to deter Russia. They now believe a combination of the Ukrainian force, allied training, European troops and aircraft stationed on NATO’s eastern flank and patrols in the Black Sea, is enough," adds Bloomberg's source.

"We appreciate the work that the allies, particularly France and the United Kingdom together with Germany and others have undertaken to develop the coalition of the willing. We are counting on all our European allies to continue taking the leadership position in contributing military resources and providing the political capital to make security guarantees a reality," declared US Ambasador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker.

According to Bloomberg, President Trump is expected to meet allies in Canada and attend the NATO summit later this month.

Source: Bloomberg