KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that the United States will provide Ukraine with 15-year security guarantees as part of a proposed peace plan, though he said he would prefer a 50-year U.S. commitment to deter further Russian attempts to seize land in the neighboring country by force.
US President Donald Trump hosted Zelensky at his Florida resort on Sunday and insisted that Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever” to a peaceful resolution.
However, negotiators are still seeking breakthroughs on key issues, including whose troops will withdraw from where and the fate of the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, one of the world’s 10 largest. Trump noted that months-long U.S.-led negotiations could still collapse.
“Actually, this war will not end without security,” Zelensky told reporters via voice message in response to questions sent via Whatsapp chat.
Ukraine has been fighting Russia since its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, with Moscow-backed separatists taking up arms in Donbass, a key industrial region in eastern Ukraine.
Details of the security guarantees have not been made public, but Zelensky said on Monday they would include how the peace deal would be monitored and the “presence” of partners. He did not elaborate, but Russia has said it will not accept NATO countries deploying troops in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump were expected to speak in the near future, but there was no indication that the Russian leader would speak to Zelensky.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv’s allies would meet in Paris in early January to “finalize each country’s specific contribution to security guarantees.”
Zelensky said Trump said he would consider extending U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine for more than 15 years. He said the guarantees would be approved by the U.S. Congress and other national parliaments involved in overseeing any settlement.
Zelensky said he hoped Ukrainians would approve the 20-point peace plan being discussed in a referendum.
However, holding a vote would require a ceasefire of at least 60 days, and Moscow has shown no willingness to do so without a comprehensive solution.
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