U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any eventual peace agreement to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year-old war against Kyiv, a promise welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “strong signal” of support.
Speaking at an extraordinary White House summit on Monday alongside Zelenskyy and European leaders, Trump said Washington would work with Europe to provide security assurances. “When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” he told reporters, adding that European countries would remain the first line of defense but that the U.S. would back them.
The pledge followed Trump’s controversial meeting last week in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the two leaders discussed prospects for a peace deal.
According to Trump, Putin suggested a sequence of talks that could begin with direct Zelenskyy-Putin negotiations, followed by a trilateral summit with Trump. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz later said the meeting could take place in Hungary within two weeks.
Zelenskyy, who offered to buy $90 billion worth of U.S. weapons, described the guarantees as a breakthrough. “They will be formalized on paper within the next week to 10 days,” he said, adding that Ukraine was ready to negotiate within clear security frameworks. The mood contrasted sharply with a disastrous Oval Office encounter in February, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance openly criticized the Ukrainian leader.
Still, the path to peace remains fraught. European leaders including Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron pressed Trump to insist on a ceasefire before talks advance, warning that negotiations without halting the fighting would embolden Moscow.
Trump, however, argued that discussions could continue while hostilities persisted, saying, “I wish they could stop, but strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has already rejected the idea of NATO troops securing any peace deal, further complicating Trump’s offer. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Moscow was open to “raising the level of representatives” in negotiations but gave no indication of agreeing to a truce.
Trump has emphasized urgency in ending the conflict, but Kyiv and its allies remain wary that he could push for concessions aligned with Moscow’s terms. He has previously suggested Ukraine abandon ambitions of NATO membership and relinquish Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said membership was not on the table but hinted that Article 5–style guarantees could be considered as an alternative.
The war has killed or wounded over a million people and devastated large parts of Ukraine. With the U.S. now promising a more direct role in post-war security, Zelenskyy and European leaders expressed cautious optimism, though any final settlement will hinge on whether Russia agrees to meaningful compromises.
Written By Rodney Mbua
