The United States has told Ukraine that it "must sign on to a peace deal with Russia in order to get U.S. security guarantees," citing a source familiar with internal discussions, Reuters reported on Tuesday, writes UNN.
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US security guarantees are seen by Ukraine as a key element of any settlement that would end Russia's four-year invasion of Ukraine. Last week, the United States mediated talks in Abu Dhabi between Ukrainian and Russian envoys, at which, US officials said, progress was made toward reaching an agreement.
The Financial Times, the publication writes, reported that the Trump administration had made it clear to Ukraine that US security guarantees depended on Kyiv's agreement to a peace deal, which would likely require it to cede Donbas to Russia.
But the source who spoke to Reuters said that the United States is not telling Ukraine what should be in a peace agreement, and that to assume that Washington is trying to force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia is misleading," the publication says.
Russian-Ukrainian negotiators will meet again on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, possibly with the participation of American officials, the publication writes. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner returned from last weekend's talks optimistic about the possibility of reaching an agreement in the near future.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that the US document on security guarantees for Ukraine is "100% ready," and Kyiv is now waiting for the time and place of its signing.
Zelenskyy consistently states that Ukraine's territorial integrity must be protected in any peace agreement to end the war.
Ukraine is increasingly unsure whether Washington will commit to security guarantees, a senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times, noting that the US "stops every time security guarantees can be signed."
The Kremlin said on Monday that the issue of territory remains fundamental to any agreement to end hostilities in Ukraine, Russian media reported, after weekend talks in Abu Dhabi.