During his visit to the Netherlands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has an agreement with the United States to make security guarantees for Ukraine legally binding through a vote in Congress as part of a deal to end the war with Russia.
This was reported by Bloomberg.
According to Zelenskyy, the agreement is part of ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the war, though he did not provide further details. His comments came after a US official said that President Donald Trump’s administration had offered Ukraine strong security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5.
Two days of talks in Berlin between Ukraine, the US and European officials showed renewed momentum in Washington’s efforts to broker an end to the war. However, key sticking points remain unresolved, including territorial issues and the format of security guarantees, with further progress dependent on Russia’s position.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow believes the war is nearing an end but stressed that Russia’s territorial demands remain unchanged and ruled out the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine as part of any peace agreement.
Zelenskyy also said the US is expected to consult next with Russia, while Ukrainian negotiators may travel to Washington for further talks. He added that a meeting with Trump could take place when the sides move closer to a final draft of a peace agreement.
In a joint statement following the Berlin meeting, leaders of ten European countries pledged readiness to deploy a multinational force to Ukraine after a peace deal is reached to help rebuild its military and protect its airspace and seas. The statement also includes legally binding commitments to restore Ukraine’s security in the event of a future Russian attack, though they stop short of providing a direct equivalent to NATO’s Article 5.
Bloomberg notes that despite claims of progress, Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to compromise on demands for Ukraine to cede large areas in the east and south of the country, nor on proposals to limit the size of Ukraine’s military.