US offers Ukraine 'strong' security guarantees amid unsettled territorial row

The United States has offered to provide Ukraine with NATO-style security guarantees as American and European negotiators report progress in talks to end the conflict in the former Soviet republic, despite Kiev’s unsettled row over territorial concessions.

US officials said Trump’s representatives — Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner — made the unprecedented offer at talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Monday, but warned that such a deal “would not be on the table forever.”

A US official told reporters that, under the deal being discussed in Berlin, Ukraine would receive “very strong” security guarantees similar to those provided in Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which requires the military alliance to come to the defense of any member that comes under attack.

One official said security guarantees, including deconfliction and oversight of any deal, were the major focus of Monday's talks and that an Article 5-like guarantee was something Trump believed he could get Moscow to accept.

Another US official said Russia was open to Ukraine joining the European Union and that Trump wanted to prevent Russia from moving further westwards in Europe.

US officials told reporters that they had secured agreement on 90% of the issues, with one saying that although longstanding territorial issues remain, “we've got multiple different solutions to bridge the gap that we are suggesting to them.”

A joint statement by leaders of several European countries, including Germany, France and Britain, said there was a "strong convergence" with Washington and stated a list of goals for both sides to work towards.

The list included commitments to support Ukraine's armed forces, a European-led peacekeeping force and guarantees to use force if Ukraine came under attack again, as well as support for Ukraine to join the EU.

Ukraine’s Zelensky signals willingness to drop NATO bid in exchange for security guarantees

Zelensky has expressed readiness to forgo Ukraine

Despite progress claimed to have been made in talks over the termination of the Ukraine war, Zelensky described the Monday meeting as not easy yet "productive."

The Ukrainian leader underlined that Kiev needed a "clear understanding of security guarantees" before it could make any decisions about other contentious issues, at the core of which are territorial concessions and the eastern region of Donbas.

Zelensky, who earlier called the issue of territorial concessions "painful," reiterated after the talks that Ukraine will not recognize Donbas as Russian either "de jure or de facto," meaning either by right or in effect.

Ukraine has said previously it would not cede territory to Russia, which has taken almost 20% of the country in its east and south since the start of a full-scale military operation in February 2022.

On Sunday, Zelensky signaled for the first time that as a "compromise" he would give up ambitions to join NATO in exchange for strong guarantees.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia's demand that Ukraine should not join the US-led military alliance was a fundamental question in talks on a possible peace settlement.

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