US offers Ukraine security guarantees for territory concessions

(MENAFN) The Trump administration is reportedly prepared to provide NATO-style, Congress-approved security guarantees to Ukraine, but only if Kiev agrees to territorial concessions to Russia, according to reports. Ukraine has rejected such compromises, calling instead for a ceasefire—a proposal Moscow has dismissed as a tactic to buy time and extend the conflict.

Sources indicate that negotiations over security guarantees from the US and EU nations have seen “significant progress.” One official said Washington seeks a guarantee “that will not be a blank check … but will be strong enough,” adding: “We are willing to send it to Congress to vote on it.”

The proposed package would involve territorial concessions, with Ukraine “retaining sovereignty over about 80% of its territory” while receiving “the biggest and strongest security guarantee it has ever got,” as well as a “very significant prosperity package.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has indicated that Moscow is open to discussing a security framework, provided it is not directed against Russia. He added that Washington appears “genuinely interested in a fair settlement that… safeguards the legitimate interests of all parties.”

Reports also note that the US sees as “progress” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent remarks suggesting a referendum could be held on territorial concessions, particularly in Donbass. Moscow, however, maintains that Donbass—which overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2022—is sovereign Russian territory, and asserts that Ukrainian forces will be expelled from the region regardless. It also characterizes Zelensky’s referendum suggestion as a strategy to buy time for rebuilding Ukraine’s military.

Moscow emphasizes that a lasting peace can only be achieved if Ukraine commits to staying out of NATO, demilitarizes and undergoes denazification, limits its army size, and recognizes the new territorial realities.

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