Hopes for breakthrough in Ukraine peace talks

US and European officials said yesterday a new package of security guarantees backed by the White House could mark a breakthrough in reaching a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv but added significant differences remained over the future status of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.

- Andrew Roth Washington Deborah Cole Berlin Shaun Walker Warsaw

The US presented the new package at talks in Berlin over recent days with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as senior diplomats and security officials from European allies.

The US delegation, which was led by Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-inlaw Jared Kushner, said Zelenskyy and European leaders had responded positively to the White House's latest proposal for security guarantees resembling those given Nato allies and meant to prevent Russia from resuming its invasion if a peace agreement is reached.

"I think the Ukrainians would tell you, as would the Europeans, that this is the most robust set of security protocols they have ever seen," said one US official briefed on the negotiations. "It is a very, very strong package. I think hopefully the Russians are going to look at it and say to themselves: 'That's OK because we have no intention [of restarting the war]'. We're going to take them at their word." US officials declined to give details on what the security package would include and who would defend Ukraine if Russia resumed its invasion after a peace deal was reached.

They said the US would not put boots on the ground as part of the deal.

In a joint statement released last night, European leaders proposed a European-led "multinational force" with US support to enforce any potential peace deal. The force would be part of "robust security guarantees" for Ukraine from the US and European powers, according to the statement.