The United States has offered Ukraine security guarantees lasting 15 years as part of a proposed peace framework aimed at ending the war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. While welcoming the proposal, Zelenskyy said a longer commitment up to 50 years would be more effective in deterring future Russian aggression.
Zelenskyy made the remarks a day after meeting U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Following the meeting, Trump said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever” to a potential settlement, though he cautioned that talks could still collapse.
Security Guarantees Central to Peace Efforts
Speaking through voice messages sent to reporters, Zelenskyy stressed that firm security guarantees are essential to ending the conflict. “Without security guarantees, realistically, this war will not end,” he said.
While specific details of the proposed guarantees have not been made public, Zelenskyy said they include mechanisms to monitor compliance with any peace agreement and the “presence” of international partners. He did not clarify whether that presence would involve foreign troops, a sensitive issue given Russia’s opposition to the deployment of NATO forces in Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it would not accept NATO troops on Ukrainian territory as part of any settlement.
Key Issues Remain Unresolved
Despite optimism from Washington, negotiators continue to face major unresolved issues. These include the withdrawal of forces, control of occupied territories, and the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant one of the world’s largest nuclear facilities currently under Russian control.
Trump acknowledged that months of U.S.-led negotiations have yet to deliver a breakthrough and warned that talks could still fail.
Ukraine has been at war with Russia since 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea and backed separatist movements in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. The conflict escalated dramatically with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Russia Signals Talks With Washington, Not Kyiv
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump are expected to speak in the near future. However, Peskov gave no indication that Putin plans to engage directly with Zelenskyy.
The Kremlin has maintained that negotiations must account for what it calls “new territorial realities,” a position Ukraine has consistently rejected.
Europe Steps In on Security Guarantees
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine’s allies will meet in Paris in early January to finalise their individual contributions to the proposed security guarantees. The meeting is expected to focus on long-term military, financial, and monitoring commitments.
Zelenskyy said Trump had indicated openness to extending the U.S. security guarantee beyond the proposed 15-year period. Any such guarantees would require approval from the U.S. Congress, as well as ratification by the parliaments of other participating countries, he added.
As diplomatic efforts intensify, Ukraine continues to press for binding, long-term commitments that it believes are necessary to prevent another Russian offensive once a ceasefire or peace deal is reached.
