Trump was ready to offer Ukraine enhanced security guarantees before the diesel deal with Putin - media

US President Donald Trump was ready to offer Ukraine expanded security guarantees as part of a new peace plan. However, the territorial issue brought the negotiations to a deadlock, UNN reports, citing The Telegraph.

In addition, further dialogue became impossible after the unexpected agreement between the American leader and Russian dictator vladimir putin on easing restrictions on the export of Russian diesel fuel 

Details

According to the publication, on October 9, during six-hour negotiations in Miami, the US president’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner discussed an updated plan to end the Russian-Ukrainian war with representatives of Ukraine and European countries. One of the key issues at the meeting was providing Kyiv with enhanced security guarantees that would prevent another Russian invasion.

In particular, the American side made it clear that Trump was prepared to consider more extensive security commitments than those discussed previously. This involved potentially expanding support for Ukraine beyond the patrolling of its airspace by American aircraft and the provision of satellite intelligence data. At the same time, official  Washington expected that strengthened security guarantees would help persuade the Ukrainian side to agree to a compromise on the territories  (in particular, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions) as part of a future peace agreement.

Ukrainian representatives generally viewed the discussion of additional guarantees positively. However, Kyiv and European capitals immediately began to fear that Ukraine would be asked to make territorial concessions to russia in exchange for support and guarantees.

The situation became more complicated after Trump announced an agreement with putin to ease US restrictions on the export of Russian diesel fuel.

According to the publication, the US president’s decision came as a surprise to some participants in the negotiation process. In particular, Björn Seibert, head of the office of the President of the European Commission, told European diplomats during a closed briefing that the announcement of the diesel deal had been unexpected for the meeting’s participants. As a result, the negotiations in Miami ended without final agreements on security guarantees and the terms for ending the war.

Context

As Reuters previously reported, citing sources, the US administration viewed the diesel deal with moscow as a way to bring the Russian dictator back to peace talks. According to Washington’s plan, economic concessions were intended to demonstrate to the kremlin the potential benefits of ending the war. However, the Ukrainian side was skeptical of this approach, as russia continues to put forward territorial demands and shows no readiness to end the hostilities.

What preceded this 

On October 9  US leader Donald Trump announced an agreement providing for the easing of restrictions on the supply of approximately 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel fuel. The American president explained the decision by the need to stabilize fuel prices.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the agreement, calling it unfair, and stressed that easing sanctions against russia would be possible only if moscow took genuine steps toward ending the war.