Ukraine's security guarantees expected in 10 days, Zelenskyy says
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Security guarantees from Western partners for Ukraine will be formalized within seven to ten working days, Zelenskyy said during a briefing in Washington.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Western security guarantees for Ukraine would be formalized within the next week to 10 days, noting that the framework could later be expanded by Kyiv’s partners as more details are worked out. Zelenskyy outlined three main components of the future agreement.
Strong army
The first part of the guarantees, he said, will focus on financing Ukraine’s Armed Forces. He stressed that maintaining salaries and preventing the army from shrinking due to a lack of funding was essential. Ukraine’s state budget alone, he noted, could not cover these costs, so international partners would need to help ensure sustainable financing as part of the guarantees.
US military aid
The second element involves military support from the United States. Zelenskyy confirmed that a proposed package worth $90 billion includes fighter jets, air-defense systems, and other weapons.
Drone production
The third component, he said, is the development of Ukraine’s domestic drone industry. Kyiv has an agreement with Washington that once exports are opened, the US will purchase Ukrainian-made drones, creating a steady source of funding for domestic manufacturers. This section of the deal also outlines how international partners would act to defend Ukraine in case of renewed aggression.
Broader context
The announcement followed talks on August 18 at the White House between Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, and several European leaders. After the discussions, Trump said European countries, in coordination with the US, would provide security guarantees to Ukraine. These would be modeled on NATO’s Article 5 principle of collective defense, though without Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance.
According to the Financial Times, Ukraine committed in exchange to purchasing $100 billion worth of weapons and equipment, financed by European partners, and to sign a $50 billion deal in the drone sector. Zelenskyy confirmed those details at his briefing.
Meanwhile, members of Trump’s administration have not ruled out the possibility of deploying US troops in Ukraine as part of the security guarantees.
