White House says security guarantees needed in Ukraine deal

If an agreement on ending the conflict in Ukraine is reached, the document should provide security guarantees for Kiev to prevent a resumption of hostilities. This was stated by US President Joe Biden 's national security adviser Jake Sullivan on 12 January.

As Sullivan emphasized, the conflict should not arise again in a few months "if Russia suddenly just decides to pick up where it left off." In addition, the agreement should stipulate that Ukraine retains the right to territorial decisions.

"A good deal includes Ukraine making its own decisions about its territory, its people and its freedom, rather than allowing others, including the United States, to impose those decisions," he said on CNN.

Trump changes timeline for 'swift' end to conflict. What the media say

Earlier, on January 10, the coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, noted that the outgoing White House administration led by President Biden believes that in the current situation neither Ukraine nor Russia are ready to negotiate an end to the military conflict.

On the same day, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Dubynskyy, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 's refusal (his term expired on May 20, 2024) to negotiate with Russia could lead to the disappearance of the Ukrainian state. He noted that the Ukrainian leader has taken the entire country hostage and threatens to destroy it.

Before that, on January 8, the Air & Space Forces Magazine publication said, citing a representative of the US Defense Department, that Russian President Vladimir Putin had no plans to surrender in the Ukrainian conflict. He also noted that in this regard, Washington was focused on allocating the necessary funds to Ukraine for combat operations.

At the same time, the team of US President-elect Donald Trump said on December 13, 2024, that it was discussing with the current White House administration and Ukrainian officials to end the Ukrainian conflict. In addition, on December 3, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg's plan for a Ukrainian settlement was presented. It proposes to end the political isolation of the Russian Federation and retain the liberated territories.

In addition, Kellogg proposed to postpone Ukraine's accession to NATO for a long time. Nevertheless, his plan includes continuing military aid to Kiev and providing it with security guarantees.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.