Washington, Europe and Kyiv spoke of significant progress on Monday in negotiations to bring to an end Russia's war against Ukraine, after leaders agreed to the parameters of security guarantees for Kyiv.
US officials said Ukraine's allies have offered "platinum standard" security guarantees as part of a broader peace deal to end the war and ensure Russia ceases any further westward expansion.
The Americans told reporters that after a second day of talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they felt "really good" about progress in ending the nearly four-year conflict, including resolving the main issue of what territories Ukraine would have to cede to Russia.
One of the officials said security guarantees include "Article Five-like" guarantees, referring to Nato's mutual defence pact that ensures an attack on one member will be met with a combined response by other nations.
"Anything that we felt needed to be addressed to make the Ukrainian people feel safe is included in this package," the official said. "It's just that strong."
The US officials said the offer of security guarantees will not be on the table “forever.”
In a joint statement from Berlin, UK and European leaders said they welcomed "significant progress" in recent days.
"Both the US and European leaders committed to work together to provide robust security guarantees and economic recovery support measures for Ukraine in the context of an agreement on ending the war," the statement read.
The guarantees would include a European-led "multinational force Ukraine" that would assist in regenerating Ukraine’s forces.
Other measures would include a US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism to provide early warning of any future attack from Russia.
"It is now incumbent upon Russia to show willingness to work towards a lasting peace by agreeing to President [Donald] Trump’s peace plan and to demonstrate their commitment to end the fighting by agreeing to a ceasefire," the statement read.
Moscow did not immediately respond and difficult territorial questions appeared to remain unresolved.
Officials briefed on the matter said US negotiators still want Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donbas region as a condition of peace talks with Russia, which is a red line for Kyiv.
Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine sought security guarantees that would allow it to complete a strong peace deal and promised negotiators would continue speaking with US mediators.
US officials told reporters that there is now "consensus and unanimity" on 90 per cent of the issues.
In public, Ukrainian officials were upbeat. "Over the past two days, Ukrainian-US negotiations have been constructive and productive, with real progress achieved,” lead Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said on X.
"The American team, led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are working extremely constructively to help Ukraine find a way to a peace agreement that lasts.”
Ukraine, battling a gruelling war since Russia's invasion in February 2022, hopes to convince the US that a ceasefire must be agreed to without territorial concessions to Russia.
Kyiv has been supported in this position by European leaders, many of whom had scheduled to travel to Berlin for a dinner with Mr Zelenskyy hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"This meeting will provide an opportunity to review the negotiations undertaken within the framework of the American mediation, as well as the security guarantees,” the office of French President Emmanuel Macron said.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte is also expected to join.
'Real troops'
The stakes are high for Europe after its leaders received scathing criticism from Mr Trump, who described them as “weak”.
They fear that an agreement on terms that place Ukraine at a disadvantage will embolden Russia to attack other European countries.
European foreign ministers met one day after Mr Zelenskyy offered to drop his country's bid to join Nato to advance talks in Berlin with US negotiators.
The EU's foreign affairs commissioner, Kaja Kallas, said that these kinds of concessions were "extremely difficult” and illustrated "Russian negotiation tactics”.
Ukraine needs more than “papers or promises”, Ms Kallas said. “They have to be real troops, real capabilities, so that Ukraine is able to defend itself.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said: “It's crunch time for Europe and Ukraine." While Copenhagen would have “preferred a Ukrainian Nato membership”, he added, it will accommodate Mr Zelenskyy's proposal to give it up “in order to compromise”.
“We have to ensure other kinds of guarantees exactly as strong as Article Five,” Mr Lokke Rasmussen added.
Frozen Russian assets
The EU is Ukraine's biggest donor, but divisions have stalled a move strongly backed by Germany, France and the Baltic States to seize frozen Russian assets to issue a €210 billion ($246 billion) loan to Ukraine, which some observers have predicted could run out of money by April.
The move is legally sound because it is not a confiscation, they argue, as the funds would be reimbursed should Russia financially compensate Ukraine for its 2022 attempted invasion. Few, however, believe that Russia would do that.
“No kind of claims from Russia will be possible before Russia compensates for everything, all the damage they have been doing to Ukraine,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. “We are not talking about €210 billion worth of damage. We are talking about more than 500 or 600 billion.”
The reparations loan is the “only option” to finance Ukraine's needs, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said. He added that his colleagues at the European Council need to “put your money where your mouth is”.
Another possibility suggested has been to issue Eurobonds, but this “did not fly” when first proposed two years ago in her previous capacity of Estonian prime minister, Ms Kallas said. States are reluctant to use taxpayer money amid budget restrictions.
Belgian reluctance
Belgium, the country where most of the frozen Russian assets are based, has been vocal in its criticism of the plan for weeks, fearing it will have to reimburse Russian alone with taxpayers' money if Moscow sues in an international court.
Italy, Malta and Bulgaria also voiced their opposition last week. Hungary and Slovakia, the two EU countries most aligned with Russia, are also expected to oppose it. To be adopted, the plan needs a qualified majority – meaning 55 per cent of member states representing 65 per cent of the bloc's population.
While EU leaders have in the past found creative ways to bypass repeated Hungarian opposition to pro-Ukraine decisions, they are unlikely to do the same to Belgium. “I think it's important that they are on board whatever we do,” Ms Kallas said.
Last week, EU leaders sought to bypass the risk of a Hungarian veto on Russia's frozen assets in Europe by indefinitely freezing them. The assets had been immobilised since 2022 but that required a renewal every six months.
Speaking in Brussels, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described it as a “very significant decision”. It demonstrates that “Europeans have decided to take their destiny into their own hands”.
