Without security guarantees for Ukraine, negotiations are meaningless - U.S. diplomat

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“We do not know. These are the kinds of issues that emerge from negotiations. We remember President Putin's goals before February 2022, which were utterly unrealistic. For example, he demanded that NATO pull back its military forces from Eastern Europe, where they had been deployed after Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014. He also suggested that some countries should leave NATO entirely.

These extreme and unacceptable demands were, of course, rejected by both Ukraine and NATO. As a result, Putin embroiled his country in a devastating and costly war, a monumental strategic mistake that has set Russia's development back by decades and caused hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers' deaths, not to mention countless Ukrainian lives,” explained Bryza.

According to the diplomat, if security guarantees for Ukraine are not agreed upon in negotiations, it will only delay Russia's new invasion. Without real deterrents for Russia, Putin will begin preparing for a new act of aggression.

“If Putin persists with such unacceptable demands, the war will only be prolonged. Regardless of what President Donald Trump says, I believe Ukraine will continue fighting if it considers the terms of any agreement unacceptable. A security guarantee for Ukraine is essential. Without one, any ceasefire would simply give Putin time to rebuild Russia's military and prepare for future aggression. There must be some form of peacekeeping deployment to ensure long-term security. 

The best security guarantee for Ukraine would be NATO membership. However, leaders like Olaf Scholz and Joe Biden are currently not in favor of this, making it difficult to see when it could happen,” he added.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's statements about Ukraine-Russia talks, saying that in a weak position, the Ukrainian side has nothing to do in these negotiations.
• Russian leader Vladimir Putin has expressed a willingness to discuss a ceasefire with Donald Trump but has ruled out territorial concessions and Ukraine's NATO membership.