Ukraine held substantive and constructive negotiations with the American team regarding one of the key documents related to security guarantees for the Ukrainian state. This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Participants in the Negotiations and Their Roles
High-ranking US officials participated in the discussions: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Special Envoy of President Donald Trump Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law and participant in the negotiations in Moscow), as well as Generals Kin and Grinkevich and Josh Gruenbaum. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also joined the dialogue.
“Security guarantees are one of the most important things for all further steps. We have already had a negative experience with the Budapest Memorandum. Everyone remembers this, as well as the fact that Russia has repeatedly violated all its other obligations. Therefore, it is now important that this document on security guarantees provides specific answers to what concerns Ukrainians the most: what actions partners will take if Russia decides to come with its aggression again,” he wrote in a Telegram message.
According to Zelensky, the parties reached an agreement on further active joint work to achieve clear and understandable agreements on security guarantees as soon as possible.
Context of the Negotiations and Positions of the Parties
Last week, a meeting took place in Moscow between US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. The topic of the negotiations was the conditions for a potential peace agreement to end the war. After this meeting, Putin stated that the Russian side did not agree with several points of the American plan.
The Ukrainian delegation in the USA continued consultations with representatives of the Trump administration aimed at developing a common position on security guarantees. The negotiations lasted several days.
In an interview released on December 9, Donald Trump noted that Russia is currently in a more advantageous negotiating position than Ukraine. He advised President Zelensky to agree to the American peace initiative, which involves significant concessions from Kyiv.
Despite this, Ukrainian and European officials remain cautious in their assessments, emphasizing skepticism regarding the sincerity of Russia’s intentions to achieve peace. At the same time, Trump expressed faith in the seriousness of Putin’s intentions.
For their part, analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War have repeatedly emphasized that the Kremlin is not ready for honest negotiations and does not plan to make any compromises, seeking the complete capitulation of Ukraine.