Ukraine is considering a long-term security arrangement with the United States as part of a proposed peace framework aimed at ending its war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday. The plan under discussion would see the U.S. provide security guarantees for 15 years, though Zelenskyy has made clear he would prefer protections lasting up to half a century to deter future Russian aggression.
The comments followed a weekend meeting between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump’s Florida resort. After the talks, Trump said Ukraine and Russia were closer than ever to reaching a settlement, while cautioning that negotiations could still fall apart.
Despite the optimism, major obstacles remain. Talks are stalled over key issues, including troop withdrawals and the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the largest in the world. Trump acknowledged that months of U.S.-led diplomacy have yet to produce a breakthrough.
“Without security guarantees, realistically, this war will not end,” Zelenskyy told reporters in voice messages sent via WhatsApp.
Ukraine has been fighting Russian forces since 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea and backed separatist movements in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. The current conflict escalated dramatically with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
While details of the proposed security guarantees have not been released, Zelenskyy averred they would cover monitoring mechanisms and the involvement of partner nations. He did not specify what form that presence would take. Russia has already rejected the idea of NATO troops being stationed on Ukrainian territory.
On Monday, the White House said Trump held what it described as a positive phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the discussion followed Trump’s earlier talks with Zelenskyy as the U.S. president seeks to push both sides toward a settlement.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Trump is pressing Ukraine to pursue a comprehensive peace deal rather than a temporary ceasefire. The Kremlin has consistently argued that any pause in fighting must come only after a full agreement is reached.
During the call, Putin told Trump that Ukraine had attempted to strike his residence in northwestern Russia with long-range drones shortly after the U.S. leader met with Zelenskyy. Ushakov warned that the incident would not go unanswered and said Russia would reassess its negotiating stance.
Zelenskyy rejected the accusation, calling it an effort to derail diplomacy. He described the claim as “another lie” and said it reflected Russia’s discomfort with progress toward peace.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later alleged that Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones at Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region between Sunday and Monday.
As talks continue, attention is turning to January, when negotiations are expected to intensify ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Putin said Monday that Russian forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region and pressing forward in the southern Zaporizhzhia area.
He also told senior military officials that Russia must establish buffer zones along its borders. “This is a very important task as it ensures the security of Russia’s border regions,” Putin said.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Ukraine’s allies will meet in Paris early next month to finalize their individual contributions to the proposed security guarantees.
Zelenskyy said Trump has signaled openness to extending U.S. security commitments beyond 15 years, though any agreement would require approval by Congress and the legislatures of participating countries. He added that Ukraine’s proposed 20-point peace plan should ultimately be approved by citizens through a national referendum.
Such a vote, however, would require at least a 60-day ceasefire, something Russia has so far refused to consider without a full settlement in place.
In Kyiv, reactions to the diplomatic efforts were mixed. A military veteran known by the call sign Sensei said Putin’s record made him untrustworthy. Wounded during fighting in Bakhmut in 2022, he said a few members of his unit are still alive.
“But all these sacrifices, they are not in vain, because we need to prove … that we exist, that we are, that we have the right to our existence, to our territory, to our culture, to our language,” the 65-year-old told The Associated Press.
Denys Shpylovyi, a 20-year-old student home for the holidays, said Trump’s engagement with Putin has placed Zelenskyy in a difficult position.
“But I’m thankful for some progress. They are speaking, and maybe someday there will be hope,” he said.
Political analyst Oleh Saakian said Zelenskyy’s ability to maintain dialogue with Trump was notable but warned against optimism.
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“I don’t see these negotiations bringing us closer to real peace, because they are based on equality between the aggressor and the victim, they are based on complete disregard for international law, and … disregard for European security,” he stated.
