U.S. President Donald Trump administration has signaled to Ukraine that security guarantees will depend on whether Kyiv agrees to a peace deal that includes handing over Donbas to Russia, the Financial Times wrote on Jan. 26.

“Washington has also hinted that it could promise Ukraine additional weapons to strengthen its army in peacetime — if Kyiv agrees to withdraw its forces from the parts of Donbas it currently controls,” the publication wrote, citing eight people familiar with the matter.

The outlet noted that U.S. security commitments are being made conditional on reaching a compromise with Russia. Ukrainian and European officials described Washington’s position as an attempt to pressure Kyiv into making painful territorial concessions that Moscow has demanded in any settlement.

“The USA has not yet given final approval to any agreement, although President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the texts of the security guarantees he discussed with President Donald Trump in Davos last week are ‘100 percent ready,’” the FT reported.

A senior Ukrainian official said it is becoming increasingly unclear whether the United States is prepared to assume binding obligations.

“They stop every time it comes to actually signing security guarantees,” the official said.

After Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy in Washington last month, U.S. officials warned that the offer of American security guarantees “will not remain on the table indefinitely.”

According to the FT, Ukraine wants to secure firm U.S. security guarantees before making any territorial concessions. However, sources said the United States believes Ukraine must give up Donbas in order to end the war — while applying minimal pressure on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to abandon one of his most rigid and long-standing demands.

On Jan. 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the document on U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine is “100 percent ready” and that Kyiv is waiting for partners to agree on the date and venue for its signing.

U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine

On Jan. 22, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy again stated that the document on U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine is ready and should be signed by the presidents.

In his Davos speech, the Ukrainian president stressed that no meaningful security guarantees are possible without the United States. He noted some progress with France and the United Kingdom, which have expressed readiness to deploy their troops to Ukraine — but only after the war ends.

In December 2025, Zelenskyy said Ukraine, together with its American and European partners, was working on three separate documents concerning the country’s security and post-war development.

On Jan. 12, Zelenskyy announced that he instructed officials to finalize and submit the U.S. security guarantees document for consideration at the highest level, calling it “a document of historic significance.”

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