Washington’s security guarantees are strong and last for 15 years, subject to renewal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that Washington had proposed to Kiev “solid” security guarantees for a period of 15 years, renewable, against Russia, noting that he had asked the United States for a longer period during his meeting with President Donald Trump on Sunday.

Zelensky stressed that providing these security guarantees will be a condition for lifting martial law in effect in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian war in February 2022.

He said during an online press conference, “I really want these guarantees to be longer. I told him (Trump) that we would like to consider the possibility of offering 30, 40, or 50 years,” noting that his American counterpart promised him to study this proposal.

Zelensky and Ukrainian negotiators held a telephone conversation on Monday with US envoy Steve Witkoff, without revealing its details.

After his talks with the Ukrainian president in Florida on Sunday, Trump expressed cautious optimism, indicating that the process was closer than ever to reaching an agreement to end the conflict, without mentioning any tangible progress.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow agreed with Trump’s assessment of the negotiations.

At the same time, Zelensky did not provide details about American security guarantees, only pointing out that they include elements that had previously been discussed. He was demanding that the United States and Kiev’s allies ensure a security mechanism similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which stipulates mutual assistance in the event of aggression.

Zelensky noted that Trump “confirmed the details” of these guarantees, stressing that they must be approved by the US Congress.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian president considered that the presence of “international forces” in Ukraine would represent a necessary and “real” security guarantee that would enhance the confidence of citizens and investors in the face of any new Russian aggression. So far, the Kremlin rejects the presence of such forces in Ukraine.

He explained that during his meeting with the US President, he discussed an economic support plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine that includes American companies and a possible free trade agreement.