By Gloria Ogbonna
The United States has proposed providing Ukraine with security guarantees lasting 15 years as part of a broader peace framework aimed at ending the war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday.
While welcoming the offer, Zelenskyy emphasized that he would prefer a much longer American commitment—up to 50 years—to effectively deter Russia from making future attempts to seize Ukrainian territory by force.
Zelenskyy’s comments followed a high-profile meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who hosted the Ukrainian leader at his Florida resort on Sunday.
After the talks, Trump said negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow were making progress and claimed the two sides were “closer than ever before” to reaching a peace agreement. However, he also cautioned that the months-long, U.S.-led diplomatic effort could still fail if key disputes remain unresolved.
Despite the optimism expressed by Trump, negotiators continue to struggle with several critical and highly sensitive issues. Among them are questions over which forces would withdraw from contested territories, how borders would be enforced under a peace deal, and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant—one of the 10 largest nuclear facilities in the world. Control of the plant remains a major point of contention due to its strategic importance and the safety risks posed by ongoing fighting.
“Without security guarantees, realistically, this war will not end,” Zelenskyy said in voice messages sent to reporters in response to questions submitted via a WhatsApp chat. He stressed that Ukraine needs firm, enforceable assurances that any agreement reached would be upheld and that Russia would face consequences if it violated the terms.
Ukraine has been locked in conflict with Russia since 2014, when Moscow illegally annexed Crimea and Russian-backed separatists launched an armed uprising in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, a key industrial hub.
The war dramatically escalated years later, deepening Ukraine’s demand for long-term international guarantees to ensure its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Specific details of the proposed U.S.-backed security guarantees have not yet been made public. Zelenskyy said Monday that the plan includes mechanisms for monitoring compliance with a peace deal, as well as the “presence” of international partners to help enforce it.
He did not clarify whether this presence would involve troops, observers, or other forms of support. Russia, for its part, has made clear that it would not accept the deployment of NATO forces on Ukrainian soil as part of any agreement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump were expected to speak in the near future, though he gave no indication that Putin was prepared to hold direct talks with Zelenskyy. Moscow has repeatedly questioned Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as a negotiating partner, complicating diplomatic efforts.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine’s allies are expected to meet in Paris in early January to “finalize each country’s concrete contributions” toward the proposed security guarantees.
The meeting is expected to focus on defining roles, responsibilities, and commitments from European and transatlantic partners in the event of a peace settlement.
Zelenskyy also revealed that Trump has indicated a willingness to consider extending U.S. security guarantees beyond the initially proposed 15-year period.
Any such guarantees, Zelenskyy noted, would require approval from the U.S. Congress, as well as ratification by the parliaments of other countries involved in overseeing and enforcing a final agreement.
In addition, Zelenskyy said he wants the emerging 20-point peace plan to be approved by the Ukrainian people through a national referendum, underscoring the need for democratic legitimacy in any deal that would shape the country’s future.
However, holding such a vote would require a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days—something Russia has so far shown little willingness to accept without a comprehensive settlement already in place.
As diplomacy continues, the gap between cautious optimism and unresolved realities remains wide, with the success of the proposed peace plan hinging on security guarantees strong enough to satisfy Ukraine while remaining acceptable to Russia and its allies.
Source Breitbart
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