The joint U.S.-EU plan for Ukraine’s postwar security calls
for a significantly stronger Ukrainian military, the deployment of European
military units on Ukrainian territory, and increased use of U.S. intelligence
capabilities, according to officials familiar with the drafts of the two
security documents.
American and European officials said the texts were agreed
after more than eight hours of tense negotiations with Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team in Berlin on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. National
security leaders and officials from about a dozen European countries took part,
including France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
The first document outlines general principles and,
according to American and European diplomats, is similar in spirit to NATO’s
Article 5, which obligates member states to defend one another in case of an
attack.
The second document defines military cooperation mechanisms.
It spells out in detail how American and European forces would coordinate with
Ukraine’s army to prevent future Russian attempts to seize Ukrainian territory,
the NYT reported.
Neither document has been made public yet. People familiar with
their contents said the second document includes clear instructions on how to
respond to potential scenarios of Russian aggression. One U.S. official said it
describes in detail how to deter Russia and what the consequences would be if
it violates the agreement.
According to the report, a key element of the plan is to
scale Ukraine’s Armed Forces to a “peacetime level” — about 800,000 service
members, equipped with modern hardware and trained to current standards.
A European diplomat told the NYT the document lists “very
specific” types of weapons and equipment Ukraine needs.
The newspaper added that a separate section is devoted to
establishing a Europe-led military mission on Ukrainian territory to protect
airspace and maritime zones. While the list of contributing countries remains
undisclosed, Zelenskyy said several nations had already privately pledged to
send troops. These units are expected to be stationed in western Ukraine, far
from the ceasefire line.
The documents also describe in detail how Washington would
use its intelligence capabilities to monitor compliance with the ceasefire and
detect signs of a renewed Russian offensive. The U.S. would also help verify
implementation and make sure localized incidents don’t escalate into another
full-scale war, according to the report.
Additionally, the U.S. would assist in identifying Russian
provocations or “false flag” operations that Moscow might use as a pretext to
restart hostilities, NYT wrote.
American and European officials stress that the new security
guarantees will be legally binding and subject to ratification in line with
each country’s laws. In the U.S., they said, Trump has agreed to submit the
guarantees to the Senate, though it remains unclear whether they would carry
the weight of a formal international treaty.
Zelenskyy said the documents are expected to be finalized in
the coming days. After that, the American side plans to hand them to Russia and
meet again with Ukrainian negotiators, possibly as early as this weekend.
Still, the newspaper notes that a full ceasefire remains
unlikely for now, in part because Russia is not participating in the talks. Any
agreement to end the fighting would require significant concessions either from
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or Russian dictator Vladimir Putin —
but Russia has shown no flexibility.
Zelenskyy wrapped up talks with U.S. negotiators in Berlin
on Dec. 15 after more than two hours of discussions.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. is ready to
make legally binding security commitments to Ukraine, similar to NATO’s Article
5.
Negotiator teams also met on Dec. 14. Participants included
the Ukrainian president, Chancellor Merz, and U.S. envoys Steven Witkoff and
Jared Kushner, representing President Donald Trump.
Witkoff said the five-hour talks achieved “significant
progress.”
Before arriving in Berlin, Zelenskyy said a fair and
realistic ceasefire option would be the “stand where we stand” principle —
meaning both Ukrainian and Russian forces remain in their current positions
while all other issues are resolved diplomatically.
Meanwhile, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov made clear the Kremlin
would not accept any changes to the peace plan.
On Dec. 16, Zelenskyy said a document exists regarding
European security forces in Ukraine after a ceasefire, and that the initiative
would be led by France and the United Kingdom. According to him, the countries
of the “coalition of the willing” have already determined their contributions,
but implementation will depend on the ceasefire and decisions by national
parliaments.