The United States has indicated that security guarantees for Ukraine depend on Kyiv's agreement to a peace deal that would likely require ceding all of Donbas to Russia, Reuters reported on 27 January, citing the Financial Times.
The FT reported, citing eight people familiar with the discussions, that Washington has also suggested it could provide Ukraine with additional weaponry to strengthen its peacetime military if Kyiv withdraws forces from the eastern territories it currently controls.
A senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times that Ukraine is growing increasingly uncertain about Washington's commitment to security guarantees. "The US stops each time the security guarantees can be signed," the official said.
Kyiv insists on confirmed guarantees before making any territorial concessions. However, the US believes Ukraine must surrender Donbas for the war to end and is not pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon that demand, the newspaper reported.
The White House denied the characterization.
"This is totally false — the US's only role in the peacemaking process is to bring both sides together to make a deal," Anna Kelly, the deputy White House press secretary, told the Financial Times.
Another person familiar with the US position told the newspaper that Washington was "not trying to force any territorial concessions upon Ukraine," adding that security guarantees depend on both sides reaching agreement on a peace deal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 25 January that a bilateral security guarantees document from the US is "100% ready." "We are awaiting from our partners their readiness, the date and place when we will sign it," Zelenskyy said. The agreement would require ratification by both the US Congress and Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada.
Zelenskyy has consistently maintained that Ukraine's territorial integrity must be preserved in any peace agreement to end the war.
The Kremlin claimed on 26 January that territorial questions remain fundamental to any deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, according to TASS news agency, following weekend talks in Abu Dhabi.
Next round of Ukraine-US-Russia talks
The next round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia in the United Arab Emirates is scheduled for 1 February, reports Axios journalist Barak Ravid, citing a US official.
This meeting will continue the two-day negotiation round that took place in Abu Dhabi on 23-24 January.
"Trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine will resume next Sunday (in 8 days) in Abu Dhabi," Ravid reported, quoting the American official.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that during the 23-24 January talks in the UAE, the parties focused on discussing parameters for ending the war. He emphasized the importance of American monitoring of this process and compliance with security conditions.
Zelenskyy also noted that if the parties were ready to move forward, the next meeting could potentially take place as early as the following week.
Before the start of negotiations in the UAE, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that the Kremlin insists on the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbas, claiming this is an important condition for negotiations on ending the war.
Frequently asked questions
According to the Financial Times, the Trump administration has signaled that US security guarantees are conditional on Ukraine agreeing to a peace deal with Russia. Specifically, Washington has linked these guarantees to Kyiv's willingness to withdraw its military forces from the currently non-occupied parts of the Donbas region.
The US has indicated it could provide additional weaponry to strengthen Ukraine’s army for peacetime if Kyiv agrees to the territorial withdrawal. This proposal is framed as a way to bolster Ukraine’s long-term defensive posture after a formal peace settlement is reached.
While President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the document for US security guarantees is "100 percent ready," its finalization is stalled. Reports suggest the US pauses the signing process because it views these commitments as being contingent upon a finalized peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
