U.S. and Ukrainian officials said Monday that Washington had pledged to protect Ukraine against further Russian attack. The goal is to ease the path to Kyiv’s signing on to a truce. The question of territory and Russia’s willingness to agree to a deal without ceding territory is far from resolution.
It isn’t meant to be a final deal. It’s only meant to bring them closer together.
“Things are seemingly going well, but we’ve been saying that for a long time, and it’s a difficult one,” President Donald Trump said Monday in the Oval Office after a conversation with Zelensky and other European leaders. “We have to get them on the same page. But I think that’s working.”
President Trump and senior US officials said Monday they’re closing in on a sweeping peace framework to end the war in Ukraine. It includes “Article Five-like” security guarantees and a multibillion-dollar rebuilding plan. There is the possibility of a 50/50 split of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
The goal, officials said, is to create a package that stops Russia from pushing further into Ukraine. It gives Kyiv the strongest-ever shield against future aggression. Trump believes the negotiations are “closer now than ever.”
The Goal Is to Stop the Movement West
“President Trump’s very focused on reaching a conclusion to this conflict that really stops the Russians from moving west,” a senior US official told reporters Monday.
“Under President Bush, Russia moves west; under President Obama, Russia moves west; under President Biden, Russia moves west. President Trump really wants to see this as an agreement that ends that for good,” the official added.
I don’t want the US on the hook for “Article Five-like guarantees” for Ukraine or US involvement in a rebuilding plan. Probably many of my readers agree. Ukraine can’t be trusted not to start a war, and we can’t afford a rebuilding plan, especially one that involves BlackRock.
Between the resistance of Europeans and President Zelensky, there is a strong possibility there will never be a deal.
Zelensky backs PEACE deal — RELUCTANTLY
‘Not PERFECT but workable…’
Some points he opposed have now been REMOVED pic.twitter.com/NefrIeRQYM
— RT (@RT_com) December 15, 2025
