Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has disclosed that the United States has proposed solid security guarantees for an initial period of 15 years as part of efforts to end the war with Russia, though Kyiv is pressing for a much longer commitment.
Zelensky made this known on Monday after high-level talks with US President Donald Trump in Florida, where Trump reiterated that negotiations to end nearly four years of conflict were closer than at any previous point.
While progress has been made, Zelensky said critical issues remain unresolved, particularly territorial questions and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
He stressed that any credible security arrangement must include the deployment of international troops in Ukraine, a proposal Moscow has consistently rejected.
Despite this, the Kremlin aligned with Trump’s assessment that negotiations were nearing their final phase, even as it restated its demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from eastern regions currently under dispute.
Zelensky said Kyiv is expecting further meetings with European and American officials in the coming days to begin drafting formal documents aimed at ending the conflict.
He insisted that any peace agreement must involve all key stakeholders.
“Any deal to end Europe’s worst conflict since World War II must be signed by Ukraine, Russia, the United States and Europe,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Security guarantees, he added, remain non-negotiable for Kyiv.
“Without security guarantees, this war cannot be considered truly over. We cannot acknowledge that it has ended, because with such a neighbour there remains a risk of renewed aggression,” Zelensky stated.
He revealed that he had told Trump the proposed 15-year guarantee was insufficient.
“I told him that we really want to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years,” Zelensky said, adding that Trump responded by saying he would give the request further consideration.
