Jan 27 - U.S. officials have reportedly signalled to Kyiv that formal security guarantees may be contingent on Ukraine accepting a peace agreement likely requiring it to cede the Donbas region to Russia, according to a report that cited eight people familiar with the discussions.
The same report said Washington has indicated it could supply Ukraine with additional weapons to bolster its peacetime military if Kyiv agrees to pull back forces from the portions of the eastern region that it currently controls.
The account could not be immediately verified. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that a U.S. document laying out security guarantees for Ukraine was "100% ready" and that Kyiv is waiting to be told where and when it can be signed. Zelenskiy has repeatedly insisted that any pact to end the war must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity.
According to the report, Ukraine is growing uncertain about whether Washington will follow through on security guarantees. A senior Ukrainian official told the report that the U.S. "stops each time the security guarantees can be signed." Kyiv, the official said, wants any guarantees confirmed before it concedes territory.
By contrast, the report said U.S. officials believe Ukraine must give up the Donbas for the war to end, and that Washington is not pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon that demand.
Responding to the assertions, Anna Kelly, the deputy White House press secretary, said: "This is totally false - the US’s only role in the peacemaking process is to bring both sides together to make a deal."
A person familiar with the U.S. position told the report that Washington was "not trying to force any territorial concessions upon Ukraine," and added that security guarantees would be conditional on both sides agreeing to a peace deal.
The Kremlin said on Monday that the question of territory remains fundamental to any agreement to halt hostilities, the TASS news agency reported following weekend talks in Abu Dhabi.
Context in the report highlights a complex bargaining dynamic: Kyiv seeks binding assurances before any territorial compromises, while reported U.S. messaging links those assurances to the content of a peace settlement that appears to presume Donbas concessions. Official statements cited in response emphasize mediation roles and the need for mutual agreement to any final deal.