Trump says end to Ukraine war closer than ever, but US officials caution security guarantee offers won’t last forever

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Monday described an end to the war in Ukraine as closer than ever, with American officials earlier in the day suggesting beefed-up security guarantees for Kyiv had advanced the peace talks — but that the US offer would not be on the table forever.

“I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever, and we’ll see what we can do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The US assessment came after two days of discussions in Berlin between officials from Europe, Ukraine and the United States, where Trump was represented by his foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The US president phoned into a dinner of European leaders Monday to discuss the developing agreement. He spoke twice with Witkoff and Kushner over the course of Monday’s discussions.

“Things are seemingly going well, but we’ve been saying that for a long time, and it’s a difficult one,” Trump said after the call.

Trump said the conversation was “very good,” and said he also had a “long talk” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said the US had been in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well.

Roughly 90% of the issues between Russia and Ukraine have been solved, one of the US officials said earlier Monday, describing the issue of territorial concessions as a remaining sticking point. The US side offered “thought-provoking” ideas on how to resolve the impasse, the official said, including the development of an “economic free zone.”

A set of “Article 5”-like security guarantees was hammered out in more precise detail during the talks, the officials said, and would allow for deterrence from further Russian aggression, deconfliction mechanisms and monitoring of an eventual peace deal. But officials declined to delve into specifics, including the US role, beyond saying it would not include US boots on the ground.

Zelensky said Sunday that Kyiv compromised on security guarantees instead of NATO membership. (NATO’s Article 5 calls on allies to assist any member that comes under attack.)

The package of guarantees would also spell out the consequences for Russia if it violates the agreement.

“This is the most robust set of security protocols they have ever seen. It is a very, very strong package,” the first official said.

Trump, meanwhile, said he’d been optimistic in the past, only to have his hopes dashed by one side or the other.

“The problem is they’ll want to get it ended, and then all of a sudden they won’t, and Ukraine will want to get it ended, and all of a sudden they won’t. So we have to get them on the same page,” he said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday said that “what the US has offered here in terms of material and legal guarantees is really significant.”

Trump is willing to bring the US-backed security guarantees before Congress, the second official said, describing the package as the “platinum standard” for what Washington can offer Ukraine.

Trump believes he can get Moscow to accept the guarantees, and the US officials said Russia had indicated openness to Ukraine joining the European Union as part of any peace agreement.

But the officials said Trump’s offers would not last forever.

“The Europeans expressed a lot of appreciation for President Trump’s willingness to lean into this issue and to offer such guarantees,” one of the officials said. “Those guarantees will not be on the table forever. Those guarantees are on the table right now.”

Also discussed this week were plans for Ukraine’s reconstruction, with a team at investment company Blackrock holding discussions with Ukrainian officials about financial support; and about the fate of the Zaporizhzhia power plant, which remains unresolved.

The US officials did not describe imminent plans to present the latest version of the deal to Russian President Vladimir Putin but said resolving the final issues — including questions of territory — would have to be done by Moscow and Kyiv.

“It will really be up to the parties to work out the final issues of sovereignty and to see if there’s a deal that can be done between them,” one of the officials said, adding the US had an obligation to discuss to issue with Moscow and with the Europeans.

Witkoff and Kushner are prepared to travel to Russia if needed for further discussions, the first official said.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.

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