US offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says
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The United States is offering security guarantees to Ukraine for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, although he said he would like a US commitment of up to 50 years to prevent Russia from continuing its attempts to take over its neighbors’ land by force.
US President Donald Trump hosted Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday and insisted that Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever” to a peaceful solution.
Negotiators are still seeking progress on key issues, however, including whose power to withdraw and the fate of Russia’s seized Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the world’s 10 largest. Trump noted that the US-led talks that have lasted for months could still collapse.
“Without security guarantees, in fact, this war will not end,” Zelenskyy told reporters in voice messages in response to questions sent via WhatsApp chat.
Ukraine has been at war with Russia since 2014, when it illegally seized Crimea and Moscow-backed separatists took up arms in the Donbas, an important industrial region in eastern Ukraine.
Details of the security guarantees have not been made public, but Zelenskyy said on Monday they included how the peace deal would be monitored, and the “presence” of the partners. He did not elaborate, but Russia said it would not accept sending troops to Ukraine from NATO countries.
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed optimism after meeting in Florida on Sunday for talks aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. However, both agreed that thorny problems, including territorial disputes, still exist.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump are expected to talk soon, but there is no indication that the Russian leader will talk to Zelenskyy.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv’s allies would meet in Paris in early January to “finalize each country’s contributions” to security guarantees.
Trump said he would consider extending US security guarantees to Ukraine beyond 15 years, according to Zelenskyy. The guarantees will be approved by the US Congress, as well as the parliaments of other countries involved in overseeing any settlement, he said.
Zelenskyy said he wants the 20-point peace plan to be approved by Ukrainians in a national referendum.
However, holding a vote requires a ceasefire of at least 60 days, and Moscow has not shown the willingness of an agreement without a full settlement.
