The United States is ready to support Ukraine if Russia rejects a peace agreement and continues the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“There is no alternative to peace. Together with the Americans, we believe our position is the same — the war must be ended diplomatically. Russia must be pressured,” Zelensky said after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to Zelensky, the fighting will also not end without security guarantees for Kyiv from the United States and the European Union, since with “such a neighbor” there is a risk of renewed aggression. “At the moment when we receive these guarantees, it will be a signal for all of us that the war is over,” the Ukrainian president said. He stressed that by guarantees he means monitoring of the situation along the line of contact and the presence of international partners in Ukraine.
Zelensky added that a proposal to provide U.S. security guarantees for 15 years is currently being discussed, but he has asked Trump to extend this period to 30–50 years. According to the Ukrainian leader, the document formalizing these guarantees would need to be approved by the U.S. Congress and the Ukrainian parliament, while agreements with European partners would have to be ratified by national parliaments.
At the same time, Zelensky noted that a 20-point plan to end the war, which Kyiv and Washington have agreed on by 90%, would need to be approved in a nationwide referendum in Ukraine. He added that this would require a ceasefire of at least 60 days and a reliable security system. “Russia does not want to give us a ceasefire for that many days,” Zelensky said.
On December 28, Zelensky and Trump held a nearly two-hour meeting at the U.S. president’s residence in Florida. During the talks, they discussed a peace plan to end the war. The only unresolved issues remain the demilitarized zone in Donbas and cooperation between the parties regarding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. A strategy for Ukraine’s reconstruction is also being finalized.
At the same time, Trump said that “Putin wants Ukraine to succeed” and is ready to invest in the country’s postwar reconstruction. The White House chief suggested that the war could be brought to an end in the near future.
