The United States has offered Ukraine security guarantees lasting 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, adding that he would prefer a far longer commitment to prevent Russia from launching future attacks. Zelenskyy’s comments came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted him at his Florida resort, where Trump said Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever before” to reaching a peace agreement.
Still, Trump acknowledged that months of U.S.-led negotiations could yet fail. Key obstacles remain unresolved, including the withdrawal of forces and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the world’s largest. Zelenskyy stressed that without firm security guarantees, an end to the war would be unrealistic. “Without security guarantees, realistically, this war will not end,” Zelenskyy said in voice messages sent to reporters. Ukraine has been fighting Russia since 2014, when Moscow illegally annexed Crimea and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. While details of the proposed guarantees have not been made public, Zelenskyy said they would include oversight mechanisms for a peace deal and the “presence” of international partners. Russia has already signalled it would oppose the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump are expected to speak soon, but gave no indication that Putin would engage directly with Zelenskyy.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine’s allies will meet in Paris in early January to finalize each country’s contributions to the security guarantees. Zelenskyy also said Trump was open to extending U.S. guarantees beyond the proposed 15 years. Any agreement would require approval by the U.S. Congress and the parliaments of other countries involved, he said. The Ukrainian leader added that he wants the emerging 20-point peace plan to be put to a national referendum. However, such a vote would require a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days — something Russia has so far refused to consider without a full settlement in place.
