The United States is proposing long-term security assurances to Ukraine, lasting 15 years, as part of a peace initiative, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday. However, Zelenskyy expressed a preference for a more extensive American commitment of up to 50 years to effectively discourage Russia from any future territorial ambitions.

US President Donald Trump welcomed Zelenskyy at his Florida estate on Sunday, asserting that Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to achieving a peace agreement.

Despite this optimism, negotiators are still grappling with significant issues such as troop withdrawals and the status of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility, one of the largest globally. Trump acknowledged that the protracted US-led discussions remain fragile and could falter.

“The reality is, without security guarantees, this conflict will not conclude,” Zelenskyy stated in voice messages to journalists, sent via a WhatsApp chat.

Ukraine has been engaged in conflict with Russia since 2014, following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and the uprising of Moscow-supported separatists in the Donbas, an important industrial hub in eastern Ukraine.

Details of the security guarantees have not become public but Zelenskyy said on Monday that they include how a peace deal would be monitored as well as the “presence” of partners. He didn’t elaborate, but Russia has said it won’t accept the deployment in Ukraine of troops from NATO countries.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump were expected to speak in the near future but there was no indication the Russian leader would speak to Zelenskyy.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv’s allies will meet in Paris in early January to “finalise each country’s concrete contributions” to the security guarantees.

Trump said he would consider extending US security guarantees for Ukraine beyond 15 years, according to Zelenskyy. The guarantees would be approved by the US Congress as well as by parliaments in other countries involved in overseeing any settlement, he said.

Zelenskyy said he wants the 20-point peace plan under discussion to be approved by Ukrainians in a national referendum.

However, holding a ballot requires a ceasefire of at least 60 days, and Moscow has shown no willingness for a truce without a full settlement.