US offers Ukraine 'platinum standard' security guarantees as part of peace negotiations
US gives latest ultimatum for Ukraine, warning that the offer won't last forever
The US has told Ukraine to accept "platinum standard" security guarantees as part of a broader peace deal to end the war and ensure Russia ceases any further westward expansion.
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The exact details of the offer are not currently public, however they are reported to be Nato-style security guarantees for Kyiv if it agrees to cede territory.
However, the US delegation has also warned that the offer will not be available forever, adding pressure on President Zelenskyy to agree to the latest set of terms.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, posted about the progress of the negotiations on X:
"Over the past two days, Ukrainian-US negotiations have been constructive and productive, with real progress achieved. We hope we will reach an agreement that will bring us closer to peace by the end of the day."
Read more:Ukraine abandons ambitions to join NATO as latest peace talks get underway
The Telegraph has reported that sources now believe 90 per cent of a peace deal has been agreed by both Russia and Ukraine.
It is still unknown how the most controversial elements of the ceasefire will be brokered, particularly the division of territory. Ukraine ceding land is a non-negotiable demand for Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Mr Zelenskyy has continued to reject proposals for Ukraine to hand over un-conquered territory in Donetsk, which Putin has repeatedly claimed Russia will take by force if required.
Russia mostly occupies the region and it wants Kyiv to hand it over in its entirety, which Ukraine is staunchly refusing to do.
Another condition which is still a sticking point in negotiations includes the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, for which a 50-50 split has been proposed.
Mr Trump's administration is reportedly telling Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government that if they fail to accept their offer of NATO-like protections, they risk the US walking away from the war altogether.
After days of intense negotiations in Berlin between Zelenskyy, European leaders, and Trump's envoys, German chancellor Freidrich Merz said: “What the US has put on the table here in Berlin in terms of legal and material guarantees is really remarkable.”
Mr Zelensky said: “We have now heard from the US side that they are ready to give us security guarantees that correspond to Article 5.”
NATO's Article 5 states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
A US official told The Telegraph: “They are very surprised that they think that we can get Russia to agree to that, since obviously no NATO is such a critical element. So, giving this NATO-like Article 5 guarantee is something that President Trump believes he can get Russia to accept.”
Trump is said to be confident he will be able to convince Putin to accept Washington’s proposals as he seeks to end almost four years of brutal fighting between Kyiv and Moscow.
Over the past two days, Ukrainian-US negotiations have been constructive and productive, with real progress achieved. We hope we will reach an agreement that will bring us closer to peace by the end of the day.
— Rustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) December 15, 2025
There is a lot of noise and anonymous speculation in the media right…
It comes as European leaders met for the latest round of peace talks in Berlin.
His US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks about Ukraine with its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Mr Trump said the talks with his Ukraine, as well as the leaders of Germany, Italy, Finland, France, the UK, Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands NATO over a settlement to the Russia-Ukraine war were "good."
"We're having tremendous support from European leaders, they want to get it ended also," Mr Trump added.
"At this moment, Russia wants to get it ended. The problem is, they all want to get it ended and then all of a sudden they won't.
"We have to get them on the same page but I think that's working... a very good talk."
In a joint statement, Sir Keir Starmer and other leaders said they and the US had “committed to work together to provide robust security guarantees” and economic support “in the context” of a peace deal.
And they set out six commitments to be included in any deal, including on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces and the involvement of Europe and the US.
A limit of 800,000 personnel is a significant increase on an earlier draft of the US-backed plan, which had suggested 600,000, and according to Mr Zelensky, is only slightly below the current size of the Ukrainian military.
The conditions also included a role for the “multinational force Ukraine” currently being developed by the “coalition of the willing” led by Sir Keir and France’s Emmanuel Macron, along with a US-backed ceasefire monitoring mechanism and a binding commitment to come to Ukraine’s aid if Russia attacks again.
Other conditions included an agreement to invest in Ukraine’s economic future, “taking into account” the need for Russia to provide compensation, and strong support for Kyiv’s accession to the EU.
While the joint statement included a role for Nato in “providing robust deterrence”, the conditions did not include a reference to Ukraine joining the alliance, something that Moscow is strongly opposed to.
The leaders said it was “now incumbent upon Russia to show willingness to work towards a lasting peace” by signing up to the plan and agreeing a ceasefire.