Ukraine war talks: US agrees to offer security guarantees to Kyiv – report

The United States has agreed to offer security guarantees to Ukraine as part of ongoing efforts to end Russia’s nearly four-year war, following fresh talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin, US officials told Associated Press on Monday, anonymously.The officials said discussions with the US. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner helped narrow differences over the security assurances Kyiv has been seeking, as well as Russia’s demand that Ukraine give up territory in the eastern Donbas region. US President Donald Trump was expected to join negotiators and European leaders via a call during a dinner meeting on Monday evening. Further talks are likely this weekend in Miami or another US location. According to the US side, around 90 per cent of the American-drafted peace plan has found agreement so far. They also said Russia has signalled it is open to Ukraine joining the European Union. Any security deal, they added, would be sent to the US Senate for approval.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said there was broad agreement among Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe that any ceasefire must be backed by strong legal and material security guarantees. Zelenskyy described the talks as substantial but said differences remain, especially over occupied territories.Fighting continued despite the talks. Ukraine reported overnight Russian drone attacks, while Russia said it intercepted Ukrainian drones, including several over Moscow.