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“Document Is Already on the Table”: Zelenskyy Says US–Ukraine Security Pact Close to Completion
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is close to finalizing a bilateral agreement with the United States on security guarantees.
He made the remarks while speaking with journalists on December 26.
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Zelenskyy said Ukraine is working daily on several documents related to security guarantees, five in total. Some of them are bilateral between Kyiv and Washington, while others are framework arrangements involving European partners.
“I see now that the agreement between us and the United States is almost ready. And the question of whether to sign it or not, in my view, is already a secondary issue, depending on the format of how our meeting goes. This document is already on the table,” the president said.
He stressed that the 20-point plan cannot be signed without Russia and Europe, as it is a four-party arrangement. At the same time, Ukraine has separate bilateral understandings with the United States.
“Twenty points cannot be signed without Russia and without Europeans—it is a four-party agreement. But we do have bilateral arrangements,” Zelenskyy said, adding that negotiating teams are making changes to these documents on a daily basis.
Zelenskyy also addressed the issue of the size of Ukraine’s army, commenting on Russia’s statements opposing an armed force of 800,000 troops. However, the Russian side has begun saying that they are not satisfied with this figure.
“As for the army, what is currently fixed in our arrangements with the American side suits us. The army that is fixed there today is a security guarantee for us. And the American side hears us,” he said.
He confirmed that Ukraine has not yet received any official response from Russia to the published 20-point plan.
“We are not receiving an official reaction from the Russian side. We communicate exclusively with the Americans. And the Americans, in turn, communicate with the Russians. I think we will know their official reaction in the coming days,” Zelenskyy said.
The president added that Ukraine is ready to discuss sensitive issues, including Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but only within limits that do not undermine national security.
Asked whether there is any chance Russia would agree to the plan, Zelenskyy said he is not focused on that at present.
“Russia is constantly looking for reasons not to agree. The answer is very simple: if Ukraine demonstrates a constructive position and Russia does not agree, it means the pressure is insufficient. And this is something I also want to discuss with the President of the United States,” he said.
Zelenskyy also confirmed that he remains in constant contact with European leaders and expressed a desire to involve Europe in the negotiating format.
“We would like Europeans to be involved. I am not sure that within one day we can gather everyone offline, but at the very least we will connect online. Undoubtedly, we must find a format in the near future where not only Ukraine and America are present, but Europe as well,” he said.
Speaking about postwar elections and a possible referendum, the president said the renewed focus on the issue came from the US side, but emphasized that security remains the decisive factor.
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“For holding elections or a referendum, the most important thing is security. Legislative possibilities can be changed, but the first priority is security,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that the 20-point plan considers the possibility of a referendum on particularly sensitive issues.
“There are questions that, in my view, can only be answered by the people of Ukraine. And it is fair that the fate of Ukraine is decided by the people of Ukraine,” the president concluded.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled an updated peace proposal that, for the first time, signals conditional openness to revising Ukrainian troop deployments in the east, reflecting a cautious adjustment as efforts to end the war with Russia remain stalled.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
