LONDON — United States and NATO military officials were set to meet Wednesday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine as the White House worked to arrange a summit between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine and its European allies appeared buoyed after Trump promised during their meeting in Washington on Monday that the U.S. would provide security guarantees as part of any settlement with Russia — a red-line issue for Kyiv.
Trump made clear Tuesday that this would not include U.S. “boots on the ground” but could see the U.S. provide air support as part of such an arrangement.
The Kremlin said Wednesday that it was ready to discuss a settlement with Ukraine, including security guarantees, but that talks without Russia were a “road to nowhere.” It also appeared in no rush to agree to a leaders’ summit.
Military chiefs from NATO’s 32 member countries will meet virtually later Wednesday to discuss the way forward. U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich will attend, the chair of NATO’s military committee said.
Their meeting comes after Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted several European Chiefs of Defense on Tuesday evening, a defense official told NBC News.
Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio will be leading the effort to coordinate security guarantees among allies, according to a White House official.
Meanwhile, the White House is actively looking to secure a meeting location and date for a Putin-Zelenskyy summit to discuss an end to the Kremlin’s war, according to a senior administration official.
The Hungarian capital, Budapest, and Swiss city of Geneva have been discussed as potential sites, the official said, adding that both Trump and Putin have a good relationship with Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.
Various nations have offered to host, including Switzerland.
Any meeting would be complicated by the arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court, and Moscow appeared in no hurry for Putin and Zelenskyy to sit down together.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Putin had proposed to continue negotiations during his phone call with Trump on Monday, and “to consider raising the level of the heads of delegations”
“We are ready for any formats,” Lavrov said. “But when it comes to meetings at the highest level, they must be prepared with the utmost care.”
Lavrov also dismissed any attempt to resolve the question of Ukraine’s security without Russia as “a utopia, a road to nowhere.”
Russian air strikes on Ukraine continued Tuesday night, killing three civilians and injuring dozens more across multiple regions, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday it had struck “pier facilities” used to supply fuel to Ukrainian forces.
Zelenskyy said on X that Russia had launched a strike “on a gas distribution station in the Odesa region.”
The ongoing attacks illustrated “the need to put pressure on Moscow,” he said, calling for “new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy is fully effective.”
Gordon Lubold, Abigail Williams, Mosheh Gains and Kelly O’Donnell contributed.
