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Zelensky says US security guarantees document ready for signing
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Sunday that a U.S. document outlining security guarantees for Ukraine stands fully prepared, awaiting Washington's confirmation on date and location for signature, a potentially pivotal step toward ending Russia's nearly four-year invasion.
"For us, security guarantees primarily mean guarantees from the United States. The document is 100% ready, and we await our partners to confirm the date and place where we will sign it," Zelensky told journalists at a press conference in Vilnius, Lithuania. Once signed, the agreement would go to both the U.S. Congress and Ukraine's parliament for ratification.
Zelensky made the remarks after a trilateral meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Polish President Karol Nawrocki during commemorations of the 163rd anniversary of the January Uprising.
The security pact has been in the works for months. At a Ukraine allies summit in Paris earlier this month, the U.S. publicly backed guarantees for the first time, officials describing them as "Article 5-style" commitments modeled on NATO's mutual defense clause. The framework requires the U.S. and European allies to treat any future significant Russian attack on Ukraine as an assault endangering transatlantic peace.
Zelensky first signaled the document neared completion at the January 22 Davos World Economic Forum, where he met President Donald Trump. He stressed then that guarantees would activate only after the conflict ends.
The Vilnius press conference followed two days of U.S.-hosted trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, the first known direct meeting between Ukrainian, Russian, and American officials since the war began. Zelensky called the discussions productive, centered on conflict-ending parameters and security prerequisites. The New York Times reported both sides expressed willingness to continue dialogue, with a follow-up possibly next week.
Challenges remain. Russia has not dropped demands for Ukraine to cede full control of the eastern Donbass region. Moscow launched a massive missile strike on Ukrainian energy infrastructure during Abu Dhabi talks, which Ukraine's foreign minister called cynical.
Zelensky told reporters in Vilnius that Russia fired over 1,700 drones at Ukrainian targets in the past week alone, underscoring the need to bolster air defenses. The proposed security framework spans ten years, renewable by mutual consent, and covers U.S. military force, intelligence support, and economic measures against future Russian aggression.