From European forces to Congressional approval, Zelenskyy outlines Ukraine’s security guarantees

Following the latest round of talks with American negotiators, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday outlined the security guarantees he seeks from the United States and Europe as part of an agreement to end the war with Russia.

In a statement on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has sought three-layered security guarantees that include support from partners for a strong Ukrainian military, a US backstop to the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, and Congressional approval for any US commitments.

Zelenskyy stressed that any US commitments must be legally binding through Congressional action as Ukraine does not want a repeat of the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 or the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015 that failed to prevent future aggression.

The statement came ahead of the Ukrainian delegation’s arrival in Kyiv from Miami after holding talks with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump. Both sides described the talks as “productive and constructive”.

In a joint statement, they said the latest round focused on aligning positions on the 20-point plan and working out a multilateral security guarantee framework, a US security guarantee framework for Ukraine, and an economic and prosperity plan.

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In recent weeks, Trump has ramped up pressure on Ukraine to agree to a proposal to end the war. Currently, Ukraine, with the support of European partners, is negotiating a revised version of the 22-point proposal that would have essentially meant a Ukrainian surrender to Russia and the cessation of its nationhood in its original form. Russian President Vladimir Putin has essentially rejected details of the revised plan and stuck to his maximalist demands.

Zelenskyy outlines three-layered security guarantees

In his statement, Zelenskyy said security guarantees must be threefold.

Firstly, partners must support the 800,000-strong Ukrainian military, according to Zelenskyy.

Such support would require additional assistance from partners, Zelenskyy stressed.

Secondly, Zelenskyy said Ukraine must join the European Union not only to secure itself economically but also to join the bloc’s security component.

“Everyone understands this first and foremost in terms of economic security guarantees and markets. There is also a military component, SAFE, and other programmes that EU membership opens up,” said Zelenskyy.

Thirdly, Ukraine requires the involvement of the British- and French-led ‘Coalition of the Willing’ with an American backstop, according to Zelenskyy.

“We will discuss what US backstop is and what specific details it may include — air defence, aviation, intelligence, and more. These are forces that must ensure Ukraine’s security in the air, on land, and at sea,” said Zelenskyy.

Outlining the Coalition of the Willing’s role, Zelenskyy said it will include 30 countries where key countries will provide presence in specific domains and there will be others providing security related to energy, finances, assistance, and shelters.

As for American involvement, Zelenskyy said Congressional action is key to ensuring any commitment is legally binding on any presidential administration. He said that would be the fundamental difference between previous failed deals like the Budapest Memorandum and the Minsk agreements and any deal to settle the ongoing war with Russia.

In 1994, Ukraine signed the ‘Budapest Memorandum’ with Russia, the United States, and United Kingdom to give up nuclear weapons in lieu of security guarantees. Ironically, one of the guarantors was Russia. The deal obviously failed as Russia invaded Ukraine first in 2014 and annexed Crimea, then waged a low-intensity war in the eastern Donbas region for eight years until it launched the full-scale invasion in 2022.

In 2014 and ‘15, Ukraine signed Minsk I and II agreements that sought to end the fighting in Donbas, but Russian proxies never stopped the fighting and the agreements failed spectacularly.