European allies must play a larger role in securing peace in Ukraine, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Sunday, stressing the White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders will be a pivotal moment in efforts to end the war.
NATO's strength under President Donald Trump's leadership has forced Russia to the table and created a real possibility for a peace deal, Whitaker said in a televised interview.
"Ukraine will have to not only understand the security guarantees that they need and explain those to the NATO allies, the NATO allies will [have to be] willing to step up, and that's why they're at the White House tomorrow," Whitaker said.
"This war needs to end. There needs to be a peace deal and the killing needs to stop — that’s been President Trump's No. 1 goal all along.
Ukraine is preparing to present a counterproposal to Russia's recent terms, with Trump mediating between the two sides. He underscored that security guarantees will be critical, explaining, while NATO provides the broader security architecture for Europe, any agreement for Ukraine would likely come through the "Coalition of the Willing" that could include the U.S. along with France, Germany, and Britain.
The U.S. recently reportedly repositioned nuclear weapons to the U.K., and France is a nuclear-armed nation with a leader in Emmanuel Macron willing to press Putin on his illegal takeover of Ukrainian territory in the Donetsk and Donbas region.
Trump's pressure has strengthened NATO, securing a commitment from all 32 member states to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP, Whitaker reminded in the interview.
"By making NATO stronger and more lethal, that is one of the reasons Putin has come to the table," Whitaker said, adding the alliance's coordination on American arms sales has bolstered Ukraine on the battlefield.
Monday's meeting with Zelenskyy and NATO leaders is the logical second step in securing lasting peace in Ukraine against Putin's aggression after Friday's summit with Putin, where he refused Trump's overtures toward a ceasefire.
Trump had told Newsmax's correspondent Mike Carter in a news conference last week there would be "severe consequences" if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire. Trump, Zelenskyy, and European leaders just might discuss those potential consequences in addition to potential moves toward peace.
"There's no better dealmaker or peacemaker than President Trump," Whitaker concluded, voicing optimism that the White House meeting could deliver meaningful progress.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.