{"id":12262,"date":"2025-12-16T10:02:52","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T10:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/u-s-dangles-security-guarantees-for-ukraine-but-no-deal-on-painful-territorial-concessions\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T10:02:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T10:02:52","slug":"u-s-dangles-security-guarantees-for-ukraine-but-no-deal-on-painful-territorial-concessions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/u-s-dangles-security-guarantees-for-ukraine-but-no-deal-on-painful-territorial-concessions\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. dangles security guarantees for Ukraine but no deal on ‘painful’ territorial concessions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. negotiators have offered to provide NATO-style security guarantees for Kyiv as U.S. and European negotiators reported progress in talks on Monday to end the war with Russia, but a deal on territorial concessions remained elusive.<\/p>\n

Envoys sent by U.S. President Donald Trump made the ‌unprecedented offer at talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin, U.S. officials said, but warned such a deal would not be on the table forever.<\/p>\n

The talks in the German capital have sparked some optimism from European leaders on a path to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two. However, Moscow is yet to agree to any of the changes discussed in Germany and has not indicated any ⁠willingness to do so.<\/p>\n

The U.S. is also leaning on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the eastern Donetsk region, an official familiar ‍with the matter said, in what would be a massive concession that could cause a ferocious backlash in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Calling the issue of ‍territorial concessions “painful”, Zelenskyy told reporters later: “Frankly speaking, ‍we still have different positions.” But he said he believed U.S. mediators would help find a compromise.<\/p>\n

Kyiv’s negotiators will continue consultations with U.S. counterparts, he said, adding that Ukraine ⁠needed a concrete understanding on security guarantees, including the monitoring of a ceasefire, before making any decisions related to the war’s front lines.<\/p>\n

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“I do not think that the (U.S.) has demanded anything,” Zelenskyy said. “I see us as strategic partners, so I would say that we have heard ​about the issue of territories in relation to Russia’s vision or Russia’s demands from the (U.S.) We see this as demands from the Russian Federation.”<\/p>\n

U.S. officials told reporters by conference call they had secured agreement on 90% of the issues. Though longstanding territorial issues remain, one said, “we’ve got multiple different solutions to bridge the gap that we are suggesting to them”.<\/p>\n

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 its full-scale February 2022 invasion.<\/p>\n

A European source briefed on the latest talks said Russia had not yet budged on its territorial demands. “The atmosphere is good ⁠but the goals remain quite far apart on the core.”<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy has been holding talks in Berlin with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as well as European leaders.<\/p>\n

Kyiv is under intense pressure from Trump to make concessions to Russia.<\/p>\n

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“For the first time since the war began, the possibility of a ceasefire is conceivable,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the meetings, in a post on X.<\/p>\n

A U.S. official told reporters later that, under the deal being discussed in Berlin, Ukraine would receive security guarantees similar to those provided in Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which requires the alliance to come to the defense of any member that comes under attack.<\/p>\n

Another U.S. official said Russia was open to Ukraine joining the European Union and that Trump wanted to prevent Russia from encroaching further westwards in Europe.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Next steps would be taken up with Zelenskyy at dinner on Monday evening with Trump putting in a call. Working groups are expected to meet in the U.S. during the coming weekend, possibly in Miami, one of the officials said.<\/p>\n

A joint statement by leaders of several European countries including Germany, France and Britain, said there was a “strong convergence” with the U.S. and stated a list of goals for both sides to work ​towards.<\/p>\n

These included commitments to supporting 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.<\/p>\n

FOR ZELENSKYY, CONCESSIONS UNPOPULAR AT HOME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ukraine said on Sunday it was willing to drop its ambition to join NATO in exchange for Western security ⁠guarantees. But it was not immediately clear how much the talks in Berlin could persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire.<\/p>\n

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia’s demand that Ukraine not join NATO was a fundamental question in talks on a possible peace settlement. He said Russia expected an update from the U.S. after the negotiations in Berlin.<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy is treading a difficult line between appearing flexible and ‍reasonable to the Trump administration while also not making concessions that the Ukrainian people would reject.<\/p>\n

Underscoring the challenge he faces, a poll published on Monday showed three-quarters of Ukrainians ‌reject major concessions in any peace deal.<\/p>\n

The poll, by the ‌Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, found that 72% of Ukrainians were prepared for a ‍deal that froze the current front line and contained some compromises.<\/p>\n

However, 75% believed a Russia-friendly plan that included Ukraine ceding more territory or capping the size of its army without receiving clear security guarantees was “completely unacceptable”.<\/p>\n

Monday’s talks ‌come at the start of a pivotal week for Europe, with an EU summit on Thursday set to decide whether it ‍can underwrite a massive loan to Ukraine with frozen Russian central bank assets.<\/p>\n

Europe has come under fire from Washington over its policies on migration, security and regulating big tech. The European Union and national governments have struggled to find a unified response to the U.S. criticism.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t© Thomson Reuters 2025.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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U.S. dangles security guarantees for Ukraine but no deal on ‘painful’ territorial concessions<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. negotiators have offered to provide NATO-style security guarantees for Kyiv as U.S. and European negotiators reported progress in talks on Monday to end the war with Russia, but a deal on territorial concessions remained elusive. Envoys sent by U.S. President Donald Trump made the ‌unprecedented offer at talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in…<\/p>\n

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