U.S. could monitor proposed demilitarized buffer zone in any Russia‑Ukraine peace deal

NBS News reported the information.

If a negotiated peace between Russia and Ukraine materializes, the United States would likely take the lead role in monitoring a large demilitarized buffer zone inside Ukraine envisioned to separate Russian and Ukrainian forces, according to four people familiar with planning among Ukraine’s allies.

Under the outline being discussed, U.S. surveillance — primarily drones, satellites, and other intelligence capabilities — would watch the zone, but American combat troops would not be deployed inside Ukraine. Ground security of the buffer could be provided by forces from one or more non‑NATO countries, with names such as Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh floated by planners, the people said.

Planners are deliberately avoiding formal NATO branding or the invocation of Article V, officials said, because Russian leader Vladimir Putin would have to accept any security guarantees and sees NATO involvement as a red line. Instead, the package would rely on a patchwork of bilateral assurances between Ukraine and partner countries.

The draft plan has moved forward even as broader diplomacy has stalled since the meeting between President Donald Trump and Mr. Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15. On Thursday, an informal Coalition of the Willing of allied countries — led by France and the United Kingdom — met to formalize parts of the proposal that would form the backbone of Ukraine’s post‑war security.

Zelenskyy wrote on X after the meeting: “We discussed in detail each country’s readiness to make a contribution to ensuring security on land, at sea, in the air, and in cyberspace. We coordinated positions and reviewed elements of security guarantees.”

Key details still remain unresolved, including the buffer’s precise borders, the rules of engagement, and what level of Russian incursions would trigger responses from Ukraine or monitoring forces. One source warned those rules will likely be heavily contested after a deal is struck.

Beyond the buffer, planners want to ensure Russia cannot choke off Ukraine’s economy. Turkey is expected to play a role ensuring unimpeded maritime traffic through the Bosporus and Dardanelles, continuing a role it assumed after the 2022 grain corridor was secured.

At the Pentagon, work on deterrence, training and defense industrial cooperation is being led by Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. U.S. officials are also discussing a roughly $100 billion arrangement under which Ukraine could buy American weaponry while the U.S. would obtain intellectual‑property rights to advanced Ukrainian systems.

The week after the Trump‑Putin meeting, Gen. Caine briefed the president on four options for security guarantees and recommended the most forward‑leaning approach, one official said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not outline the plan’s details in a statement to NBC News.

“President Trump is the decision maker,” she wrote. “Out of respect for ongoing diplomatic negotiations, the White House is not going to get ahead of him on these important matters.”

She added: “Anyone anonymously claiming to know what he will or will not support doesn’t know what they are talking about.”

People familiar with the plan said none of them spoke for the record as endorsing a final option, and any arrangement would require agreement from Putin, Zelenskyy and the leaders of the countries that would provide security guarantees.