There will be no Kina: The US refused to provide air cover for the "coalition of the willing" in Ukraine
The plan launched by London and Paris in the spring to deploy European coalition forces in Ukraine has been developed and completed, but its implementation has been postponed until better times, Bloomberg reports.
The agency's sources cite two reasons. First, the stalling of ceasefire talks. After all, cautious Europeans intend to send troops exclusively to post-war Ukraine. And second, European governments have adjusted their assessment of what is needed to contain Russia.
They now believe a combination of Ukrainian forces, allied training, European troops and aircraft stationed on NATO's eastern flank, and patrols in the Black Sea is enough, one of Bloomberg's sources said.
The agency notes that this adjustment was prompted by the realization among the leaders of the "coalition of the willing" that the United States had refused to provide air cover for European forces. Consultations with the American side only reinforced the Europeans' belief that Trump would not provide them with the guarantees they sought.
This primarily concerns air defense systems to support the “deterrent forces” that Great Britain and France plan to deploy after the end of hostilities in Ukraine.
An EU official told Bloomberg that it is unlikely that Trump will give a written guarantee to intervene if European troops are targeted by Russia in Ukraine. A peaceful settlement overall is also becoming less and less likely, according to European officials.
"The US reluctance to provide the support requested by European partners highlights disagreements among Western allies over how to respond to Russia's aggression against Ukraine," the article says.
However, despite lowered expectations about a potential US offer to post-war Ukraine, Britain and France still hope the US will continue to provide intelligence and surveillance across the dividing line, one of the people told Bloomberg.
Another source said some European officials also believe Trump would intervene if European troops came under fire from Russia, but they believe he is unlikely to give such a guarantee in writing.
Thus, the agency summarizes, the configuration of coalition forces that will help ensure the security of the airspace, coast and land of Ukraine directly depends on the issues of achieving peace.