The so-called proposal guarantees similar to those contained in Article 5. emerged during marathon talks between US special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, and Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin. It also takes place at a time when Washington is trying to put pressure on Kyivto accept the conditions for ending the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and many European leaders are reluctant to reach an agreement without a clear security guarantee from the United States, fearing that Russia will attack again after some time.
The latest U.S. offer is an attempt to alleviate these concerns, but also puts pressure on Zelensky to take quick action.
“The basis of this agreement is essentially to have really, really strong safeguards, similar to those in Article 5,” said a senior U.S. official. — These guarantees will not be available indefinitely. They are available now if a favorable agreement can be reached.
President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he spoke by phone with Zelensky and European leaders. He also added that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but did not specify when this took place.
– I think we're closer now [porozumienia] than ever before. We'll see what we can do, Trump told reporters at the White House. Asked if the security guarantee offer has an expiration date, he replied: “The expiration date is when we manage to achieve it.”
Recent talks in Berlin focused mainly on the details of the security guarantees that the United States and Europe would provide to Ukraine, but they also touched on territory and other issues. Witkoff and Kushner were joined by Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of U.S. European Command and NATO's supreme commander.
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The United States expects that Russia will accept such a solution in the final agreement and will also allow Ukraine to join the European Union. This may prove to be an overly optimistic assessment, considering the Kremlin's reluctance to make concessions so far in peace talks. Moscow has not yet commented on any new agreements reached in Europe over the past few days.
— We believe that in the final agreement, Russians will accept all the elements that will allow for the creation of a strong and free Ukraine. Russia made clear in the final agreement that it was open to Ukraine joining the EU, a second U.S. official said. Both officials remained anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations.
It is unclear when or how the Trump administration will provide new details to Moscow. —Russia expects the American side to inform it about the progress of the talks, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He added that Putin “is open to peace, to serious peace and serious decisions. He is absolutely not open to any delaying tricks.”
Asked whether negotiations could be completed before Christmas, Peskov said trying to predict a potential date for a peace deal was a “thankless task.”
According to a second US official the Ukrainian delegation was pleasantly “surprised” Trump's willingness to agree on stronger security guarantees and have them ratified by Congress so that they remain in force beyond the end of his presidency.
Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and Friedrich Merz, Berlin, December 15, 2025ODD ANDERSEN / AFP / AFP
The American side also expressed appreciation for its European partners, who for months feared that the Trump team would force Ukraine to accept unfavorable conditions. European officials also expressed optimism.
“The legal and material guarantees that the United States has presented here in Berlin are extraordinary,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters at a news conference after Monday's talks.
“Significant progress”
Merz, together with the leaders of Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the UK, Sweden and the EU, issued a statement welcoming “significant progress” in US activities and pledged to help Ukraine end the war and stop Russian aggression, including by creating a multinational force for Ukraine under European leadership and with US support.
Over the weekend, Zelensky admitted that Ukraine would not apply for NATO membership, as Russia has repeatedly demanded.
Trump did not attend the meetings in Berlin this week, but was briefed twice by Witkoff and Kushner on the progress of the talks. On Monday evening, he also telephoned representatives of European governments.
“He's really happy with the way things are now,” said the first American official.
Witkoff and Kushner also sought to limit disputes between Ukraine and Russia over the territory Moscow would control in a final agreement. Russia has so far insisted on control of Ukraine's Donbass region, even the parts Moscow has not captured.
One U.S. official said the talks focused on a number of specific territorial issues, adding that work was underway on a proposal, which has not yet been finalized, for Russia and Ukraine to share control of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, with each country having access to half of the power generated by the plant.
American officials however, they avoided specifics regarding how they intend to resolve other territorial disputes. They said they provided Zelensky with “inspiring ideas” on how to achieve this goal.
After Zelensky responds to the proposals, Witkoff and Kushner will discuss the matter with Russia. “We are very pleased with the progress we have made, including on the territories,” the first official said.
The United States is scheduled to convene working groups this weekend, probably in Miami, where military officials will try to resolve remaining territorial issues.
– We think so we probably solved 90 percent. problems between Ukraine and Russia, but there are still some issues that need to be worked out, the first U.S. official said.
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