U.S. Would Help Assure Ukraine's Security in a Peace Deal, U.S. Tells Ukraine

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U.S. President Donald Trump's summit with European leaders.

U.S. President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday that Washington would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any peace deal to end Russia’s war, though the scope of such assistance remains unclear.

The pledge came during a high-level summit at the White House, where President Trump hosted President Zelenskiy and a group of European leaders, following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last Friday.

“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” President Trump told reporters, stressing that European nations would also play a central role. “They are a first line of defence because they’re there, but we’ll help them out.”

President Zelenskiy hailed the assurances as “a major step forward,” saying they would be “formalised on paper within the next week to 10 days.” He also confirmed Ukraine’s offer to purchase around $90 billion worth of U.S. weapons.

Both leaders voiced hope that Monday’s summit would pave the way for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, eventually leading to a trilateral meeting between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. President Trump later announced on social media that he had already spoken with President Putin to begin arranging such a summit.

A senior U.S. official indicated that a preliminary Putin–Zelenskiy meeting could take place in Hungary within two weeks. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also confirmed this timeframe.

The last direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv were held in Türkiye in June, but President Putin declined President Zelenskiy’s invitation to meet in person, dispatching a lower-level delegation instead.

European leaders in Washington pressed President Trump to demand a ceasefire before any further negotiations. While President Trump had previously supported this, he shifted stance after meeting President Putin, backing Moscow’s insistence that a comprehensive peace deal must be reached before halting hostilities.

“I wish they could stop, I’d like them to stop,” President Trump said. “But strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron maintained that a ceasefire should be a prerequisite, while President Macron argued that Europe must eventually be directly included in the peace talks.

“When we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the security of the entire European continent,” President Macron told President Trump.

Monday’s discussions included leaders from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, NATO, and the EU, who joined President Trump and President Zelenskiy for more than two hours of multilateral talks.

President Trump has pushed for a swift end to the conflict, which he has called Europe’s deadliest war in 80 years. However, Kyiv and its allies remain wary that he may seek a deal on Russia’s terms, particularly after his warm reception of President Putin in Alaska.

President Putin, who faces war crimes charges from the International Criminal Court, denies the allegations. Moscow continues to insist its invasion is a “special military operation” to counter NATO expansion and protect its security, while Kyiv and the West condemn it as an act of aggression and territorial conquest.

President Trump has denied suggestions that the Alaska summit was a victory for President Putin, but his administration has said compromises are necessary. U.S. officials have also indicated that Ukraine may need to forgo ambitions of joining NATO or reclaiming Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that while membership was not on the table, “Article 5”-style security guarantees could be offered to Ukraine instead. Such a mechanism would commit Western nations to respond collectively if Ukraine were attacked, short of full NATO membership.

President Zelenskiy, however, has dismissed Russia’s demands presented in Alaska, including the surrender of the remaining quarter of Donetsk still under Ukrainian control. Any potential territorial concessions, he said, would require approval through a national referendum.

The war has already killed or wounded more than a million people on both sides, including thousands of civilians, and has devastated vast areas of Ukraine.

Source: Reuters



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