'Agreement first': US sets condition for security guarantees for Ukraine, – Politico

According to a European diplomat and another source, this condition became the key element in the American proposals delivered to Kyiv last week.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a phone call with European officials, said that President Donald Trump would agree to long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, but at a later stage.

Another European diplomat reported that Rubio spoke about security guarantees for Ukraine during the negotiations in Geneva. However, he did not go into details and did not repeat this proposal during his call with the British and the French.

The head of the State Department also broadly mentioned several other issues that must be resolved after the agreement is reached. According to Politico, Europeans understood these to include the matter of territories and Russia’s frozen assets.

The White House, in turn, insists that any peace plan will include security guarantees.

"The Trump administration has repeatedly affirmed, publicly and privately, that any deal must provide full security guarantees and deterrence for Ukraine," said spokesperson Anna Kelly. The president’s national security team continues to work with both sides to bring this conflict to a close and deliver a durable, enforceable peace."

The US State Department did not respond to Politico’s request for comment.

The outlet also writes that on Thursday, Rubio told his European counterparts that the United States was not viewed as a fair mediator in the negotiations. The reason, he said, was that Washington was simultaneously supplying military assistance to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.

Speaking more broadly about the peace plan, some European countries fear that the Trump administration could tilt the balance in Russia’s favor.

"Nothing about human rights, humanitarian law, international law nor principles," said a third European diplomat in reference to the peace plans. "This is creating a new European ‘security architecture’ full of holes."

US peace plan and security guarantees

The United States recently presented Ukraine with a new peace plan for ending the war, consisting of 28 points.

According to the plan, Ukraine was expected to withdraw from the Donbas, reduce the size of its Armed Forces, give up long-range weapons, and more.

Moreover, Kyiv was required to abandon its path to NATO, and the Alliance was expected to commit to never admitting Ukraine as a member.

However, as Axios reported, alongside the main document, Kyiv received a second one. That document described NATO-style security guarantees.

Specifically, in the event of a new Russian attack, the US and Europe would be obligated to respond, including the possible use of military force. According to Axios, Washington intends to provide such guarantees for 10 years, with an option for extension.

Given the original plan’s clear advantage for Russia, an emergency meeting between delegations from the US, Ukraine, and Europe was organized in Geneva on Sunday, 23 November, to revise the document and make it more favorable for Kyiv.

According to the Financial Times, the plan was reduced from 28 to 19 points, although President Donald Trump had hinted the day before that it had been narrowed to 22 points.

In addition, he denied claims that he had set a deadline to finalize the peace agreement by 27 November.