Zelenskyy says security guarantees document from U.S. is 100% ready

A U.S. document setting out security guarantees for Ukraine is fully prepared and Kyiv is waiting for confirmation of when and where it will be signed, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday (25 January), suggesting that weekend talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi yielded some progress.

Speaking at a news conference in Vilnius, Zelenskyy said security guarantees for Ukraine primarily meant assurances from the United States. He added that the document was “100% ready” and would be submitted for ratification by the U.S. Congress and Ukraine’s parliament once signed.

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held their first trilateral talks with U.S. mediators in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday, focusing on Washington’s framework for ending the nearly four-year-old war. Although no agreement was reached, both sides said they were open to continued dialogue, with further discussions expected next Sunday.

Zelenskyy said the talks covered a U.S.-backed 20-point plan and a number of contentious issues, noting that the number of unresolved points had decreased.

He said Moscow was seeking to pressure Ukraine into abandoning eastern regions it has failed to fully seize since launching its full-scale invasion, but stressed that Kyiv remained firm in its position that Ukraine’s territorial integrity must be preserved.

“These are two fundamentally different positions – those of Ukraine and Russia,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the United States was attempting to bridge the gap and that all parties, including Washington, would need to be prepared to compromise.

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