Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the recent Israeli leading discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine. He considers them to be an essential step in realizing an eventual peace agreement with Russia. These new guarantees will provide clear, enforceable protections on land, in the air, and at sea. Their statements underline Ukraine’s critical need for security, especially with hostilities still ongoing.
“Security guarantees, as a result of our joint work, must really be very practical, delivering protection on land, in the air and at sea, and must be developed with Europe’s participation,” he stated.
At the same time, Russia has indicated its acceptance that any possible peace deal related to Ukraine would need to feature security guarantees for Kyiv. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, tweeted that Moscow is looking for credible security assurances. “Many leaders of EU states emphasize that a future peace agreement should provide reliable security assurances or guarantees for Ukraine,” Ulyanov remarked.
In an unprecedented move, Russian President Vladmir Putin has just gone out on a scary limb. He proposes that the US and European allies, jointly or individually, should offer Ukraine a NATO-style, “Article 5-like” security guarantee as a settlement. This change in tenor of negotiations is huge. Perhaps most importantly, the statement reflects that both sides have a common understanding of the urgent need for durable security assurances.
As discussions continue, European leaders will join Zelenskyy at the White House meeting to advocate against a controversial land swap proposal that some argue rewards Russian aggression. This delegation includes heavy-hitters such as Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz. It is very critical of Giorgia Meloni, Keir Starmer, Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen and Alexander Stubb. They seek to know what, precisely, are the security guarantees provided by the United States. We’ll need this kind of understanding if a final settlement is achieved.
The importance of these negotiations was made obvious once again with last week’s escalation of deliberate, widespread attacks on Ukrainian cities. Twelve wounded after a missile strike on Kharkiv city, underscoring the daily, terrorizing reality for civilians as renewed hostilities rage on. Russian forces intensified their attack this past weekend. They conducted a precision-guided bomb strike on a residential neighborhood in the Sumy oblast.
The rivalry continues to do little but produce panic on either side, each side citing their security needs as an excuse. “If we’re being honest and serious here, both sides are going to have to give, and both sides should expect to get something from this. That’s a very difficult thing to do,” he said.
Though hopeful, skepticism persists given previous failures in reporting deals struck between the two countries. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s former envoy with the now-infamous trip to Ukraine, said the Russians had signed on the security guarantees. He has been mistaken before in describing deals struck in negotiations with Russia.