Overview
- U.S. envoys told Ukrainian and European counterparts that Washington is prepared to offer legally binding, Article 5-like security guarantees, with officials indicating the package would go to Congress for approval.
- Kyiv signaled readiness to forgo NATO membership in exchange for robust, enforceable security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe.
- European leaders endorsed a European-led force to operate in Ukraine with U.S.-led cease-fire monitoring, plus sustained support for an 800,000-strong peacetime Ukrainian army.
- Negotiators reported major textual progress and plan to brief the Kremlin, but the fate of territory in the Donbas remains unresolved despite U.S. claims that roughly 90% of issues have been narrowed.
- Kremlin officials voiced strong objections, including to foreign peacekeepers, as Russian strikes continued to hit Ukrainian infrastructure and EU leaders prepared to decide on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s recovery.