Washington cautious as Zelensky hails basis for future security deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country has largely agreed with the US on a basis for a future peace and security arrangement, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported on Monday.

Zelensky said roughly 90% of a 20-point plan had been agreed, including provisions regarding future security guarantees and continued support for Ukraine’s armed forces.

Zelensky’s comments followed recent discussions in Miami between Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian leader added that the plan would still require approval from Moscow and the US Congress.

“In my view, everything possible that we needed to do for the initial drafts has already been done,” Zelensky said. “At this stage, it all looks quite solid. These are precisely the details that matter to us — what Ukraine and our army can count on after signing, and how strong we can be.”

The proposed deal builds on a 20-point plan discussed in Berlin last week, itself an amended version of the earlier US 28-point plan criticised for favouring Russia that includes firmer security guarantees from Washington and Europe.

The plan includes a framework document on security guarantees between Ukraine, Europe, and the US, as well as bilateral security guarantees granted to Kyiv by Washington, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

Following what he termed a “real result,” Zelensky said he now expects the US negotiating team to speak with Russian representatives before providing feedback regarding the outcome of those talks.

Washington, however, struck a more cautious tone in its public assessment of the Miami negotiations over the weekend, after months of US-led shuttle diplomacy between Kyiv and Moscow that have so far yielded little in terms of concrete progress.

In an interview with British publication UnHerd published Sunday, US Vice President JD Vance agreed that a “breakthrough” had been made, but warned that significant obstacles remained.

“I think that we’ve made progress, but sitting here today, I wouldn’t stay with confidence that we’re going to get to a peaceful resolution,” Vance said. “I think there’s a good chance we will, I think there’s a good chance we won’t.”

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said that talks on Ukraine and Russia were “going along” and “going okay”, without providing further details.