The United States announced on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, its willingness to supply intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), command and control (C2), and air defense capabilities to support a European-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine. This offer is part of ongoing discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine following the conflict with Russia.
According to reports from the Financial Times and Ukrainian sources, US officials communicated to European counterparts that Washington is prepared to provide strategic enablers including US aircraft, logistics, and ground-based radar systems. These assets would underpin a European-enforced no-fly zone and air shield over Ukraine.
The offer is contingent on European countries committing to deploy tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine to form a peacekeeping and deterrence force. Ukrainian troops would defend a demilitarized zone patrolled by neutral peacekeepers, while a European-led deterrence force would operate deeper within Ukraine, supported by US assets from the rear.
Ukraine's Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak described the US willingness to provide such support as a significant shift from earlier in the year when aid was cut. He cited a recent meeting in Washington involving President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders with former US President Donald Trump as a breakthrough in diplomatic efforts.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the pre-decisional nature of these security commitments.
Russian officials have repeatedly rejected the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine as part of any security guarantee. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova have stated that Russia opposes any scenario involving NATO military contingents on Ukrainian soil.
The discussions are part of broader diplomatic efforts to establish a postwar security architecture for Ukraine, involving multilateral cooperation between the US, European nations, and Ukraine itself.
Sources for this report include the Financial Times, Ukrainian Pravda, ANSA, CNN Portugal, and the Institute for the Study of War, with information confirmed as of Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
