Dec 16: The United States has agreed to provide security guarantees to Ukraine as part of ongoing peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s nearly four year war, with negotiators reporting significant progress during discussions held in Berlin U.S. officials said.
The talks involved Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and envoys of U.S. President Donald Trump and focused on narrowing differences over security guarantees sought by Kyiv and Russia’s demand that Ukraine concede territory in the eastern Donbas region.
President Trump said negotiations were closer to a breakthrough than ever before and noted strong support from European leaders for efforts to bring the conflict to an end. U.S. officials said the proposed security guarantees could be submitted for approval by the U.S. Senate.
In a joint statement, European leaders and the United States committed to providing robust security guarantees for Ukraine including the creation of a European led multinational force supported by Washington. The proposed force would operate inside Ukraine assist in rebuilding its armed forces secure Ukrainian airspace and support maritime safety.
The discussions centred on an “Article 5–like” security arrangement drawing parallels with NATO’s collective defence clause. Ukrainian officials reiterated that any security assurances must be legally binding and backed by the U.S. Congress.
Zelenskyy described the talks as substantial but acknowledged that differences remain over territorial issues. Ukraine has signalled it may be willing to drop its bid for NATO membership if it receives equivalent security guarantees, though Kyiv continues to see NATO membership as the strongest long term safeguard.
Russia, meanwhile has maintained its opposition to the presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian soil and continues to demand that Ukraine renounce its NATO ambitions and make territorial concessions in Donbas as part of any peace deal.
U.S. officials said there is consensus on about 90 per cent of the U.S.-drafted peace plan and noted that Russia has indicated openness to Ukraine joining the European Union.
Despite diplomatic efforts, fighting continued alongside the talks, with both Ukraine and Russia reporting large-scale overnight drone attacks, underscoring the urgency of reaching a negotiated settlement.
