Trump promised Ukraine 'security guarantees': Here's what they could look like

On the look of it, talks connected Monday betwixt U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders went well.

The U.S. and Ukrainian leaders were pictured looking jovial and smiling unneurotic — a acold outcry from the bonzer shouting lucifer and nationalist humiliation inflicted connected Zelenskyy during his past travel to the White House successful February.

Monday's talks, which progressive a raft of European leaders, appeared to marque advancement toward ending the protracted warfare betwixt Russia and Ukraine, with Trump saying a gathering betwixt Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy would beryllium arranged, followed by a trilateral gathering that helium would join.

The astir important improvement effect for Kyiv and Europe, however, was Trump's statement that information guarantees for Ukraine would beryllium "provided" by European countries successful "coordination with the U.S."

Describing that arsenic a "major measurement forward," Zelenskyy said aboriginal that the bundle of information guarantees for Ukraine — highly coveted by Kyiv's enactment and seen arsenic a deterrent to aboriginal Russian aggression — volition see a monolithic acquisition of American weapons, with financing reportedly supported by Europe. The statement would beryllium "formalized connected insubstantial wrong the adjacent week to 10 days," helium said.

As for what the information guarantees could include, the item is inactive scant. Trump commented astatine a post-talks property league that Europe would "take a batch of the burden" for these, but said the U.S. would assistance and would marque it "very secure."

In immoderate case, information guarantees apt mean that Europe, and the alleged "Coalition of the Willing" of countries offering to oversee a bid deal, is connected the hook to fulfill what they've antecedently promised.        

French President Emmanuel Macron hinted Tuesday that the "first information warrant we are moving connected — and it is the astir important — is simply a beardown Ukrainian army, composed of respective 100 1000 men, good equipped, with defence systems and higher standards."

"The 2nd is to person reassurance forces, the British, the French, the Germans, the Turks, and others acceptable to transportation retired these operations — not connected the beforehand line, not successful a provocative way, but reassurance operations successful the air, astatine sea, and connected land. The extremity is to nonstop a strategical signal: bid successful Ukraine is besides our concern," helium told French broadcaster TF1-LCI, successful comments translated by NBC News.

Jaroslava Barbieri, probe chap astatine Chatham House, told CNBC Tuesday that the wide temper from the talks connected Monday was 1 of "cautious optimism," but determination are galore unknowns.

"However, we person to accidental that the Kremlin's maximalist demands connected Ukraine person not changed and truthful there's inactive a fig of uncertainties astir the information guarantees, the details, who is going to beryllium doing what, if determination are immoderate unit deployments past wherever volition they beryllium stationed and for however long, which countries volition beryllium contributing?" she asked.

European leaders person voiced misgivings implicit the deficiency of a ceasefire betwixt Russia and Ukraine earlier a bid woody is negotiated, but they look consenting to acquiesce, for now, with the extremity end of bid and Ukraine and Europe's information successful mind.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's erstwhile overseas minister, told CNBC Tuesday that Europe inactive appeared to beryllium struggling to beryllium heard, saying the bloc had not yet recovered its spot and "ability to make leverage."

"What came retired of the gathering yesterday was that Europe was asking the U.S. yesterday to proceed its assistance, to inquire for a ceasefire, to assistance immoderate stationing of troops, and past immoderate of the leaders were adjacent saying, 'Well, immoderate of the Ukrainian territories mightiness beryllium lost, but that's a reality.' Well, that doesn't dependable similar Europe uncovering it's strength," helium said.

"It's much similar Europe agreeing that, 'we are successful a precise anemic presumption and we person to delight President Trump arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin and we person thing to enactment connected the table'," helium noted. 

What's more, it's unclear whether the Kremlin volition adjacent hold to nonstop talks with Zelenskyy. Putin's statesmanlike adjutant Yuri Ushakov stated Monday that Trump and Putin had discussed "that it would beryllium indispensable to survey the anticipation of raising the level of representatives of the Ukrainian and Russian sides," but that nary steadfast determination was made.

The projected aboriginal summits betwixt Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy would support a process towards a imaginable solution of the struggle alive, but it would inactive travel the Russian publication of a no-ceasefire scenario, Holger Schmieding, main economist astatine Berenberg Bank, cautioned.

"Putin whitethorn already acceptable hard conditions for a gathering with Zelenskyy. And successful a gathering with Zelenskyy, Putin's large extremity whitethorn beryllium to pin the blasted for immoderate nonaccomplishment connected Zelenskyy alternatively of agreeing to a truce oregon a last deal. The result remains precise uncertain," helium noted.