The US links security guarantees for Ukraine to a peace agreement and the Donbas issue
The administration of US President Donald Trump has made it clear to Ukraine that American security guarantees depend on the conclusion of a peace agreement with Russia, which, according to Financial Times sources, may involve the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas. This was reported on 27 January by the publication, citing eight people familiar with the negotiations.
According to the sources, Washington also allows for the possibility of increasing military support for Ukraine during peacetime, in particular the supply of weapons to strengthen the army, if Kyiv agrees to withdraw its forces from part of the eastern territories. Ukrainian and European officials have called this position an attempt to persuade Kyiv to make painful territorial concessions, which Moscow insists on.
One senior official in Kyiv noted that it is becoming increasingly unclear whether the US is prepared to make security commitments. According to him, the process always stalls at the stage when the parties are ready to sign the relevant documents.
The White House rejects these claims. Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said that the US is not imposing any conditions on Ukraine regarding territories, and that its role is solely to bring the parties to the negotiating table. According to her, the content of the peace agreement should be determined directly by Ukraine and Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that the draft document on security guarantees from the US is 100% ready and is only awaiting the date and place of signing to be determined. At the same time, he has repeatedly stressed that Russia's demand to hand over the entire Donbas region is unacceptable.
The Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, remains one of the key issues in the negotiations. According to experts, Russia currently controls about 80 per cent of the region, but the rest of the territory forms a so-called fortified belt, which Ukraine considers critical for its defence. Opinion polls conducted in early January show that most Ukrainians oppose any concessions on this issue.
Negotiations involving Ukraine, the US and Russia took place last weekend in Abu Dhabi and, according to the parties, are set to continue. Zelensky confirmed that a second trilateral meeting is planned for the coming days, but acknowledged that a number of complex political issues, particularly regarding territories, remain unresolved.
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