Security guarantees for Ukraine, a great unknown in Kyiv. Seemingly contradictory statements to the top of Trump administration
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. PHOTO: Media Punch, MediaPoint Inc / Alamy / Profimedia
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special emissary Steve Witkoff made contradictory statements about the results of the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump, supplying the uncertainties related to American security guarantees, writes The Kyiv Independent.
After meeting Putin at Anchorage, Alaska, Trump said that the two leaders “agreed” on security guarantees for Ukraine and territorial exchanges, which would mean that Ukraine should give up certain surfaces to Russia.
In statements made during this day, both Witkoff and Rubio referred to the security guarantees resulting from the meeting between Trump and Putin.
Witkoff invokes a Russia's commitment
Witkoff, who participated directly in the discussions, told CNN that Putin has already agreed on “solid security agreements that I would describe as changing the rules of the game.” Witkoff said that the problem of protection similar to that of Article 5 of NATO did not arise, discussing instead the registration in Russia's legislation so that it does not claim other territories after reaching a peace agreement.
“The legislative inclusion in Russia does not attack other European countries and violate their sovereignty. I have agreed,” Witkoff said.
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Rubio: “They don't want to be invaded again”
Rubio, who also participated in the meeting “3 to 3” with the Russian delegation led by Putin, reported different discussions about security guarantees, notes the Ukrainian publication.
“There will be some security guarantees as part of a peace agreement. How they are structured, how they are built and what will be our role, these are things we are going to establish,” Rubio told NBC News. “It is one of the fundamental requests of Ukraine, that if we put an end to it, we must be sure it will not happen again. They do not want to be invaded again,” added the US Secretary of State.
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Zelenski does not know the details
Prior to his visit to the White House, along with some European leaders, President Volodimir Zelenski showed his concern about the lack of details on the form of security agreement.
“It is important for America to agree to collaborate with Europe in providing security guarantees for Ukraine and we are very grateful to the United States and the president for this signal,” Zelenski said on social networks after discussions with European leaders.
“However, there are still no details about how they will work – what will be the role of America, which will be the role of Europe and what the EU can do. This is our main task. We need a security that works in practice, such as Article 5 of NATO,” added Zelenski.
The Ukrainian President also said that Kiev believes “the EU entry as part of security guarantees. And I heard from President Trump that both America and Putin believe the same.”
Against the background of the confusion regarding the lack of details related to the potential security guarantees, Trump has not yet commented on how a final agreement could look.
Ukrainian and European leaders have long asked the US to support solid security guarantees for Kiev in the event of an armistice with Russia. The Trump administration has hesitated so far to engage in such guarantees, a position that prevented, in the first phase, the US-Ukraine agreement on minerals and caused uncertainty in the “coalition of will”.
