Senior US officials say they’re closing in on a sweeping peace framework to end the war in Ukraine — featuring “Article Five-like” security guarantees, a multibillion-dollar rebuilding plan, progress on tough territorial disputes, and a possible 50/50 split of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
The goal, officials said, is to create a package that stops Russia from pushing further into Ukraine and gives Kyiv the strongest-ever shield against future aggression.
“President Trump’s very focused on reaching a conclusion to this conflict that really stops the Russians from moving west,” a senior US official told reporters Monday.
“Under President Bush, Russia moves west. Under President Obama, Russia moves west. Under President Biden, Russia moves west. President Trump really wants to see this as an agreement that ends that for good,” the official added.
The proposed NATO-style guarantees would include conflict monitoring, verification and enforcement mechanisms to prevent Russia from re-invading Ukraine.
“The basis of that agreement is basically to have really strong guarantees — Article Five-like — also very, very strong deterrence,” the official said.
Details are sparse, but officials said the package would require Senate approval — something Ukraine wants to avoid after a toothless deal like the 1994 Budapest Memorandum failed to prevent Russia’s incursions in 2014 and 2022.
“President Zelensky spoke about flaws in past agreements, and we discussed ways to make sure a future deal learns from those mistakes and leads to a proper, enduring agreement,” the official said.
Trump is willing to go the congressional route — but warned the offer is not open-ended.
“Those guarantees will not be on the table forever,” the official said, urging Kyiv to act swiftly.
A second official called the security guarantees package the strongest the US has proposed over nearly a year of peace talks.
“Anything we felt needed to make the Ukrainian people feel safe is included in this package,” the official said.
The news comes as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner wrapped up marathon talks with Ukrainian and European officials since Saturday — including eight hours with President Zelensky.
The Berlin talks included national security advisers and foreign ministers from Germany, the UK, France, and other European nations. Officials said the Europeans “dug in” and were outstanding in trying to end the conflict.
“I would assess that it was really, really positive in almost every respect,” one official said, adding that Trump is “really pleased with where we are today.”
Territory remains the sticking point. Russia wants Ukraine to pull forces out of the Donbas — including the roughly 30% of Donetsk Oblast that Moscow has failed to occupy in more than 11 years.
Military-to-military consultations will continue next week to hammer out details, a Ukrainian official said. “We brainstormed options, including an economic free zone, and tried to define how it would operate,” a US official said.
Officials also discussed ways to use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, though details remain under discussion.
They moved closer to an agreement on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which Russia has occupied since early in the invasion. “
“There’s still a gap on how it should be operated,” one official said, “but both sides want it repaired and functioning.”
“And it seems we’re close to a 50/50 split of the power plant,” the official added. “That would be a good outcome for Ukraine’s energy security.”
If finalized, the package would combine the toughest-ever US security guarantees with a multibillion-dollar reconstruction plan and shared control of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant — a high-stakes framework designed to lock in peace, rebuild the country and finally halt Russia’s westward expansion.
While the Kremlin has yet to weigh in, the senior US officials said they believed Russia would accept the plan.
