US Offers Ukraine 15-Year Security Guarantees as Zelensky Pushes for Longer Term

The US has offered Ukraine 15-year security guarantees, though President Zelensky hopes for up to 50 years, during talks on a revised peace plan with Donald Trump in Florida. Key unresolved issues include Ukrainian territories and the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, while the future of Donbas remains contested. Both leaders reported progress, and European allies are set to discuss security guarantees. Fighting continues, with airstrikes and UAV interceptions reported.

The United States has offered Ukraine security guarantees for 15 years, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced during discussions on a revised peace plan with former US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday. Trump indicated that agreement on this point was “close to 95%” complete, but Zelensky suggested he would prefer guarantees extending up to 50 years.
During the talks, Zelensky highlighted that the remaining unresolved issues involve territorial disputes and the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Limited information was shared regarding the future of Ukraine’s contested Donbas region. Russia has previously rejected major components of the proposed plan, though a Kremlin spokesman reportedly agreed with Trump on Monday that the prospects for peace have improved, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Speaking to reporters at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort after the meeting, Zelensky reiterated that he believes an overall peace agreement is about 90% complete, a figure he had also cited prior to the visit. Both leaders noted progress on the issue of security guarantees, with Zelensky emphasizing that these guarantees should take effect immediately upon Kyiv signing a peace deal. “Without security guarantees, this war cannot be considered truly over. We cannot acknowledge that it has ended, because with such a neighbour there remains a risk of renewed aggression,” Zelensky explained, according to AFP. He also called on the US to consider extending guarantees to 30, 40, or even 50 years. The US has yet to comment on the proposed timeframe. On Sunday, Trump stated that an agreement was near and anticipated that European allies would assume a major role, supported by the US.
For Zelensky, two critical issues remain: the status of Ukraine’s territories and the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, currently under Russian control. Moscow controls roughly 75% of Donetsk and nearly all of Luhansk, the two regions collectively known as Donbas. Trump acknowledged after the meeting that a deal on Donbas remains “unresolved, but it's getting a lot closer.” Russia has consistently aimed to fully control Donbas, while Ukraine has proposed that the area could become a free economic zone under its forces’ supervision, with any negotiations including the input of the Ukrainian people.
Trump has shifted positions on Ukraine’s lost territories several times, at one point suggesting Kyiv might reclaim them, only to later reverse his stance. He also floated the possibility of trilateral talks among the US, Russia, and Ukraine “at the right time,” while cautioning that failed or stalled negotiations could prolong the war. Zelensky proposed that Ukrainian officials might meet at the White House in January, potentially with European leaders, as both sides prepare for further discussions.
Following the Florida talks, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised “good progress” while stressing the importance of “ironclad security guarantees” for Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Kyiv’s allies would convene in Paris next month to discuss the guarantees. Zelensky has also said that any peace plan should be subject to a referendum in Ukraine, which would require a 60-day ceasefire. Russia, however, does not support a temporary ceasefire—a point reportedly discussed in a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to the meeting. According to former Russian US ambassador Yuri Ushakov, both Trump and Putin agreed that a temporary ceasefire could prolong the conflict, with Moscow showing little interest in allowing a Ukrainian referendum. Trump acknowledged Russia’s position but noted that he believed Putin “wants Ukraine to succeed.”
Meanwhile, hostilities continued. Kyiv reported that Russia conducted 25 airstrikes on Sunday, 21 of which were intercepted. The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that it intercepted 89 Ukrainian UAVs overnight, primarily over the Bryansk region.