Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has projected a mood of careful and watchful optimism regarding proposed international security guarantees for his nation's future. Speaking on Tuesday, he emphasised that such guarantees would be acceptable only if they were detailed in full and formally confirmed by the US Congress.
Progress in Talks, But Devil in the Details
Zelensky's comments followed two days of intensive discussions in Berlin with negotiators from the United States and Europe. The talks, which concluded on Monday, were described by Western officials as showing progress, with them promoting a potential security agreement for Ukraine modelled along the lines of NATO's mutual defence principles.
The Ukrainian leader acknowledged that American negotiators had made significant strides in outlining the nature of the security assurances they might provide as part of a broader peace settlement. However, he stressed that crucial specifics still needed to be ironed out. Notably, Russia was not a participant in this latest round of negotiations.
A "Painful" Compromise and Sticking Points
President Zelensky has consistently stated that firm security guarantees from Europe and the United States are a non-negotiable precondition for Ukraine to consider making any territorial concessions. This linkage has created two major obstacles in the peace process: the exact nature of the security pact and the final status of disputed territories.
Zelensky described the potential exchange of land for security as a "painful" compromise to which he has not yet agreed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine cede approximately 14% of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine—areas not currently under Russian military control. This demand has found support from officials in the Trump administration.
US Proposals Fail to Convince Kyiv
American attempts to find a middle-ground solution, such as transforming the contested Donbas into a demilitarised zone, have so far failed to win Zelensky's approval. The Ukrainian president argues that even if Ukrainian forces withdraw, there is no guarantee Russian troops would follow suit, rendering such an arrangement fundamentally unacceptable.
"There was enough dialogue on the territory," Zelensky stated on Monday. "And it seems to me that so far we have different positions, to be honest, but I think that my colleagues have heard my personal position." He made these remarks during a news conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where he thanked President Trump and his envoys for their peace efforts.
Earlier, in a social media interview with Ukrainian journalists early Tuesday, Zelensky struck a more cautious tone directed at his compatriots. "You and I are people of war, and during war we believe in facts," he said, underscoring the need for concrete, actionable guarantees rather than promises. He suggested that the very elements which might make the guarantees palatable to Ukraine would likely be rejected by Russia, highlighting the deep-seated tensions at the heart of the negotiations.
The talks in Berlin involved Trump administration representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with European officials, as Zelensky continues to navigate a complex diplomatic landscape in the pursuit of a secure and sovereign future for Ukraine.
