US reportedly ties security guarantees to Ukraine ceding Donbas territory to Russia
The Trump administration is again pressuring Kyiv by seeking to tie U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine's agreement to cede unoccupied areas of Donbas to Russia, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Jan. 27, citing eight people familiar with the talks.
The reported push comes as Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. reengage in active diplomacy amid President Donald Trump's latest effort to end the war, with the next round of talks expected on Feb. 1.
Washington has reportedly told Kyiv that security guarantees would come only after Ukraine reaches a peace deal with Russia — a deal likely to involve territorial concessions in the Donbas.
Kyiv has pushed for guarantees to be secured before agreeing to any loss of territory.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly emphasized that firm security guarantees are essential to any peace deal to prevent a renewed Russian invasion. He previously signaled that U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees were "100% ready," hoping to sign documents this month.
"For us, security guarantees are first and foremost guarantees from the United States," the Ukrainian president told reporters on Jan. 25.
Ukrainian and European officials described the approach to the FT as an attempt to force Kyiv into painful territorial concessions that Moscow has no intention of reciprocating.
The Kyiv Independent has contacted Ukrainian officials and the White House for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Russia has long demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donbas and is now explicitly tying any future agreement to such a move after more than a decade of fighting in the region.
Ukraine has ruled out a withdrawal, but officials have said alternative arrangements, including a demilitarized zone, could be considered. The U.S. has also floated the idea of establishing a free economic zone in parts of the war-torn region.
As an additional incentive, the U.S. has reportedly offered Ukraine more weapons to equip its army in the post-war period. Still, a senior Ukrainian official warned that it is becoming increasingly unclear whether Washington is prepared to take on binding commitments.
Luhansk Oblast is almost entirely under Russian control, while Ukraine continues to hold parts of Donetsk Oblast, where Kyiv has built its most extensive and heavily fortified defensive lines.
Ukrainian officials have warned that if Russia were to seize this defensive line, it would gain a significant advantage for attacks on neighboring regions.
The Kyiv Independent has learned that Washington hopes to push the peace process "toward its final culmination" during the next round of talks, though Moscow has yet to show any readiness to accept the proposals on the table.
The most contentious issues — Russian demands for Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donbas and control of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — are set to dominate the agenda.
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Tim Zadorozhnyy
Tim Zadorozhnyy
