EU rejects reported US-Russia security deal covering Europe

European leaders have rejected any attempt by the United States and Russia to reshape Europe's security architecture without their involvement, after President Donald Trump suggested Washington could be nearing a broad agreement with Moscow that would extend beyond Ukraine to cover the whole continent. The comments have prompted concern among European allies that the US administration may be moving toward a deal that could accommodate Russian President Vladimir Putin's long-standing demands. The dispute has quickly become a test of how far Washington is prepared to go in talks with Moscow and how much say European governments will have in any future settlement.

Trump said the potential agreement would be a "very big" deal involving not only Ukraine but "all of Europe". He added that it would be a "big, beautiful agreement" and said everyone would be "thrilled", without providing details. His remarks came as his special envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said Washington was working on a broader European security architecture intended to create the conditions for lasting peace.

The statements were made on Thursday, according to the supplied reporting, and were followed by a swift response from European officials. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Warsaw on Friday that Europe already has a security architecture in place. She said the problem is that Russia keeps breaking the treaties that support it, and argued that NATO posed no threat to Russia in 2021 and does not pose one now.

Kallas also said Vladimir Putin does not have a veto over European security. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski echoed that view, saying any arrangement about the future of Ukraine and Europe made above Europe's head would be both unwise and impossible. The disagreement matters because it goes to the core of Europe's post-Cold War security order.

Any suggestion that the United States and Russia could negotiate a new framework without the European Union or other European governments would raise questions about alliance unity, the role of NATO, and the future of Ukraine's security. It also highlights the continuing tension between efforts to reach a settlement with Moscow and European concerns that such a deal could weaken existing guarantees and reward Russian pressure. The row comes against the backdrop of Russia's repeated disputes with the treaties and arrangements that European officials say underpin the continent's security system.

Kallas's comments in Warsaw were framed as a direct rebuttal to the idea that Europe's security can be redesigned by outside powers alone. Her remarks also underline the EU's insistence that any agreement affecting the continent must include European participation if it is to be implemented. The reporting also points to a wider diplomatic question over who would define the terms of any future peace arrangement.

Trump's comments suggested the scope of talks could extend beyond the war in Ukraine, while European officials said that would be unacceptable if negotiated without them. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha also said Moscow could not be regarded as a guarantor of European security, reinforcing the view from Kyiv that Russia should not be trusted to police the terms of any settlement. What remains unclear is whether Washington is actually close to any formal agreement with Moscow, and if so, what it would contain.

It is also not clear how much influence European governments would have over any proposal that affects the continent's security structure. For now, the immediate issue is the political pushback from Brussels, Warsaw and Kyiv, and whether the US will clarify the scope of its discussions with Russia.

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