U.S. pledges air support for Europe if Russia launches new offensive — diplomat Fried

Daniel Fried, former long-time U.S. State Department coordinator for sanctions policy, shared his opinions in an interview with Antin Borkovskyi, host of the Studio West program on Espreso TV.

“Western Europeans, particularly the French, have been discussing the possibility of deploying troops inside Ukraine in the context of an agreed ceasefire. They are going to have to do this, but they will not, and probably should not, do so without American backup,” he noted.

American support, particularly in the form of air forces to assist Europeans in the event of a new Russian offensive, remains a matter of future agreements, Fried said. However, such an agreement is crucial to reach.

"Yesterday's statement by Defense Secretary Hegseth made it clear that this possibility remains open. I cannot predict the future, but this option is quite realistic. At the same time, European countries are now taking their role in ensuring Ukraine's security much more seriously than a year ago. They understand that their own security is at stake. Putin poses a threat to all of Europe, and if he takes Ukraine, he will not stop. Europeans realize this, and therefore, they are ready to act decisively to stop him before the situation gets out of control," concluded the American diplomat.

• On January 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would need at least 200,000 peacekeepers to prevent a new Russian attack after any ceasefire agreement.
• Later, he stated that if peacekeeping forces are deployed in Ukraine, they must include U.S. troops.
• On February 11, the NYT reported that Europe does not have 200,000 peacekeepers available to send to Ukraine. This is nearly three times the size of the entire British army.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the idea of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, stating that it would work if 100-150,000 European troops were deployed.
• Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated that partners are already working on the idea of a peacekeeping mission for Ukraine.