Key facts
- Kallas said NATO and the EU already have roles in European security and Putin has no veto over it.
- NATO allies were not briefed on the US plans in advance, according to three alliance diplomats.
- Kushner said the arrangement would have five goals, including military transparency and crisis communications.
- One NATO diplomat said the proposal is obscure and will not fly with European allies.
- Seibert briefed EU ambassadors on the proposal on November 6, according to two EU diplomats.
- Some allies fear the US may tie the initiative to a December review of American troops in Europe.
A Trump administration proposal for a new European-wide security arrangement with Russia met skepticism from European capitals, which fear it risks sidelining the continent and emboldening Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, POLITICO reported on November 6, 2026.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on November 6 that NATO and the European Union already have their respective roles in European security. "We must make sure Ukraine is integrated into this architecture," she said. "Putin does not have a veto over European security."
NATO allies were not briefed about the American plans in advance, according to three alliance diplomats, and many remain skeptical of the idea, POLITICO reported, citing 12 NATO diplomats, EU envoys and European government officials granted anonymity.
US President Donald Trump late on November 5 talked of a "big, beautiful agreement" after meeting Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev, adding that it would involve more than Ukraine and might involve all of Europe. Kushner said the objective was to develop practical arrangements addressing the security concerns of all sides, with five goals: permanent security consultations, reliable crisis communications, greater military transparency, reciprocal measures to reduce escalation risks, and an enduring framework for long-term European security and stability.
One NATO diplomat said it was "a bit obscure what Kushner meant" and that any discussion with Russia on the future architecture would be used by Moscow to legitimize its arguments. A senior European official said there was "nothing to find fault with, but we know there's something else going on."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's top adviser, Björn Seibert, briefed EU ambassadors on November 6, according to two EU diplomats, following a discussion between national security advisers. One EU diplomat said there was willingness to engage in Kyiv and the rest of Europe but little confidence in the Russians, and that the EU was not blocking it. A senior European security official said European security architecture should not be discussed while there is a war, and not without Europeans.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on November 6, after a meeting of the eight Nordic and Baltic countries, that Europe must have a seat at the table in negotiations on peace in Ukraine and the future European security architecture.
Two rounds of working-level meetings on a Ukraine peace deal took place in Brussels in the week before November 6, ahead of US-brokered working-level talks with Ukraine and Russia on November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Putin might have fewer incentives to get a deal in winter.
Stefan Kornelius, spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who talked to Trump on November 5, said a new sense of urgency had emerged on negotiations after the US midterm elections, adding the issue would resurface at an informal gathering of EU leaders in Dublin the following week.
Some allies fear the US may tie its new initiative to an upcoming review of American troops in Europe, expected in December. "That's the elephant in the room," a second NATO diplomat said.