The US military may take a leading role in securing a buffer zone in Ukraine once a peace deal with Russia is reached. 

Multiple sources speaking with NBC said the US could lead the surveillance of a future demilitarized zone to help secure Ukraine post-war. Under the plan, no American troops will deploy to Ukraine, and the ground presence will be led by non-NATO countries such as Saudi Arabia. 

Under the plan, some European countries may agree to provide Ukraine with bilateral security guarantees. However, those assurances will be outside of NATO’s mutual defense pact. 

European leaders and President Zelensky have proposed deploying tens of thousands of NATO troops to Ukraine to enforce any ceasefire or peace deal. Last week, Trump said he was willing to provide American air power to support the European force. 

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected any deal with Kiev that includes a Western troop deployment to Ukraine post-war. It is unclear if Moscow will be more willing to allow non-NATO forces to deploy to a buffer region. 

Resolving the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine is just one of the barriers to ending the war in Ukraine. Additionally, Kiev is refusing to cede any territory to Russia, and Putin is demanding significant portions of Ukraine’s east and south. 

On the campaign trail, Trump was confident he could bring the conflict to a quick end. However, he has been unable to push Putin off his hardline position, and Trump failed to use his significant leverage over Kiev to compel Zelensky to make concessions. 

In a sign the war could continue to drag on for some time, the Pentagon is in talks with Ukraine on a deal to send Ukraine $100 billion in US weapons. Under the proposed agreement, Kiev would give Washington intellectual property rights over weapons developed in Ukraine, and receive arms from the US as compensation.