Adm. Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the U.K. Defense Staff, was in Washington on Aug. 20, “to discuss exactly what role America is prepared to play in ensuring Ukraine’s future security,” reported the Daily Mirror. He came as part of a delegation that reportedly included European defense chiefs from Germany, France, Finland, and Italy, the same countries whose leaders were at the White House on Aug. 18. Radakin is uneasy about deploying British troops on the ground in Ukraine, however, and apparently told his American counterparts that the U.K. will defend Ukraine’s skies and seas but not the frontline with Russia. For this reason, the Daily Mirror reports, the discussions “were closely watched for any indication of what Washington is willing to put on the table.”
“At the heart of the talks lies the single issue of whether Trump is willing to offer Ukraine what his adviser Steve Witkoff this week described as ‘Article-5-like’ assurance,” they write. How such an assurance could be provided in a way that is acceptable to Moscow has yet to be explained. The article continues: “The Pentagon talks are not expected to yield immediate announcements. Officials stressed that discussions will continue in the coming weeks. Yet Putin cannot ignore the symbolism of five of Europe’s top generals flying to Washington to hear Trump’s position firsthand.”
