WASHINGTON—A U.S. official has pushed back after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine are contingent on Kyiv ceding control of the Donbas region to Russia.
While Zelenskyy has been adamant that his country should have assurances of protection against future attacks, he has been reluctant to relinquish territory as a precondition to ending the ongoing conflict with Russia, now in its fifth year.
In an interview with Reuters on March 25, Zelenskyy said Russia is exercising too much control over the peace terms.
“Americans are ready to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” the Ukrainian president said.
“In my view, the Russian side is shaping the atmosphere in its dialogue with the Americans around this very idea: That Ukraine should withdraw from Donbas, the United States will then provide the security guarantees Ukraine is seeking, and Russia will certainly end this war. More or less, this is the triangle we find ourselves in.”
A U.S. official familiar with the ongoing discussions disputed Zelenskyy’s comment, telling The Epoch Times that his characterization is false.
U.S. and Ukrainian groups met in Miami over the weekend to advance discussions. The U.S. delegation included special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
In a March 22 post on X, Witkoff said that discussions “focused on key points to define a durable and dependable security framework for Ukraine, as well as critical humanitarian efforts in the region.”
Zelenskyy has theorized that the ongoing fighting between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Middle East has complicated negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
“The geopolitical situation has become more complicated due to the war against Iran, and unfortunately, this is emboldening Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote in a March 24 post on X.
The Ukrainian president said that, with the fighting in the Middle East, Trump may also feel compelled to speed up the peace process between Russia and Ukraine, even if it means handing more favorable terms to Moscow.
“The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump, and I think on his next steps,” the Ukrainian leader told Reuters. “President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy to put more pressure on the Ukrainian side.”
During a White House press conference on March 24, Trump did not appear to be committed to a specific timeline for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
When asked if he expected a breakthrough by the 2026 midterms, Trump said: “I think they’re getting close, but I’ve been saying that for a while.
“I’ve settled eight wars. All of them should have been more difficult than this one. This should have been the easiest one. But these are two people that truly hate each other. You’ll find out that hatred is not good for making deals.”
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