The US has agreed to provide security guarantees, although details have not been released, to Ukraine as part of a peace deal to end a nearly four-year conflict with Russia - US officials said on December 15 after the latest round of talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin.
According to these officials, the meetings between Kiev and President Donald Trump's delegates, including Mr. Steve Witkoff and Mr. Jared Kushner, have significantly narrowed disagreements about the type of security guarantees that Ukraine demands, as well as Russia's demand for Ukraine's territorial censea in the Donbass region.
Trump attended online for a dinner with European negotiators and leaders that evening. Subsequent discussions are scheduled to take place later this week, possibly in Miami or another location in the US.
I think we are getting very close, closer than ever, President Trump told reporters on the sidelines of another event at the White House, while emphasizing strong support from European leaders in the effort to end the conflict.
According to the US side, this security proposal will not be left "suspended" indefinitely. The Trump administration plans to submit the deal to the Senate for approval, although it has not yet clarified whether it will be approved under a treaty mechanism - which requires a 2/3 majority.
In a joint statement in Berlin, European leaders said they and the US have pledged to coordinate in providing solid security guarantees, including a European-led multinational force in Ukraine, backed by the US.
This force not only operates inside Ukraine but also supports military reconstruction, protects airspace and contributes to ensuring maritime security. According to the proposal, the Ukrainian army will maintain a peacetime scale of about 800,000 troops.
Notably, the negotiations are moving towards a security mechanism described as similar to Article 5 of NATO a collective defense clause that considers an attack on a member to be an attack on the entire bloc. The US has handed Ukraine a more detailed document on security commitments, overcoming the vague points in previous proposals.
However, the fate of the territories under Russian control remains the biggest obstacle. President Zelensky described the discussions as real, but acknowledged that disagreements about the territory still exist. Ukraine continues to reject pressure to transfer land, while Moscow has asked Kiev to withdraw troops from control in Donetsk province as a key condition for peace.
US officials say about 90% of the content of the drafted peace plan by Washington has reached consensus. Russia is said to have signaled acceptance of Ukraine's entry into the European Union (EU), but still sees Kiev's NATO ambitions as a direct threat - the cause of the conflict since February 2022.
When asked if a deal could be reached before Christmas, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin was open to serious peace, but did not accept any move to extend the deadline.
