Washington, August 20 (HS) : In a sign of intensifying transatlantic coordination, America’s top military officer, Gen. Dan Kane, President Donald J. Trump’s principal military adviser, met with several European defense chiefs Tuesday evening. The closed‑door session comes as Trump has hinted at the possibility of a NATO‑led peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
According to officials, Kane’s talks included counterparts from Germany, Britain, France, Finland, and Italy. On Wednesday, the dialogue is expected to broaden into a NATO‑wide video conference led by U.S. Gen. Alexis Grinkevich — Washington’s top commander in Europe and the alliance’s senior operational chief — with Kane also joining the discussions.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed Trump’s pledge that no American ground forces will be deployed inside Ukraine. However, she emphasized Washington’s active role in shaping robust security guarantees. “The President understands that lasting peace requires credible security commitments. He has directed his national security team to coordinate closely with allies in Europe, while continuing engagement with both Ukraine and Russia,” Leavitt said.
The New York Times reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. European leaders held consultations a day after the White House talks but signaled only limited progress toward ending the conflict. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov struck a cautious note, declining to commit to any specific summit and stressing that such a meeting would require “extremely careful preparation.”
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
