Russian envoy says 'some kind' of security guarantees for Ukraine is 'acceptable' after talks with US

Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday that “some kind of” security guarantees for Ukraine “may be acceptable” following high-level talks at the White House. US President Donald Trump’s administration has been working to revive the stalled peace negotiation between Russia and Ukraine as the war continues to escalate.

Dmitriev, who leads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and is a close adviser to President Vladimir Putin, travelled to Washington this week, to hold talks with White House officials. This was the first high-level visit to Washington from Russia since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

During his trip, Dmitriev held two days of talks with American envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin in Moscow last month as part of President Donald Trump’s push for a ceasefire and peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia sees a positive outcome

Hopes for a peace deal between the two warring nations died down after Ukraine accused Russia of repeatedly violating an agreement not to strike each other’s infrastructure and energy plants.

While speaking to Fox News, Dmitriev argued Ukraine had struck Russian energy targets, but claimed the White House talks had a “positive outcome” and conceded the Kremlin could be open to security guarantees for Kyiv. “Some security guarantees in some form may be acceptable,” Dmitriev said, without specifying which ones. He ruled out Ukraine joining NATO as “not at all possible.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has long argued that security guarantees, such as joining NATO or US and European peacekeepers on the ground in Ukraine, are the only way to ensure Moscow does not attack again.

Dmitriev’s remarks marked a significant departure from Kremlin’s usual stance. In the past, Putin has said that peace would only be possible if Ukraine undergoes “demilitarization,” while his top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, said Moscow “categorically” opposed European troops acting as peacekeepers.

Interestingly, Russia’s change in stance came a month after Trump admitted those in the Kremlin could be “dragging their feet” on a ceasefire. Last week, Trump said he was “ pissed off ” at Putin after the Russian leader called for elections in Ukraine and ousting of the country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to NBC News, members of Trump’s inner circle have urged the American president not to accept a call from Putin until Moscow commits to a ceasefire.