Zelenskyy Seeks Written Postwar Security Guarantees Before Abu Dhabi Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants any postwar security guarantees for his country spelled out "clearly on paper" before Ukraine enters three-way peace talks with Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi next week.^[1]

Speaking on Ukraine's 1+1 television on Thursday, Zelenskyy said future assurances must specify exactly who will respond, with what weapons or resources, and how quickly, if Russia attacks again after a settlement, underscoring deep mistrust of Moscow and concern that vague pledges would fail to deter another invasion.^[1] He tied the guarantees to long-term reconstruction and budget support as his government negotiates its 2027 funding needs with Western allies and international financial institutions.^[1]

Talks in Brussels earlier this week gathered senior officials from the US, UK, France, Germany, the European Union, the World Bank and asset manager BlackRock to discuss a combined package that would cover Ukraine's state financing, rebuilding war-damaged infrastructure and an allied-backed security framework meant to lock in military aid and training beyond any formal NATO membership.^[1] Those discussions are feeding into preparations for the Abu Dhabi meeting, the first trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US since February 2026, where Kyiv fears pressure to accept a cease-fire or broader deal without robust protections against a renewed Russian offensive.^[1]

Former President Donald Trump, who has taken a personal role in back-channel contacts, met Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington on Thursday and said afterward there could be a "big agreement" that includes more than Ukraine and potentially "all of Europe," but he gave no specifics on territory, sanctions, or security structures.^[1] Both EU spokesperson Paula Pinho and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday there are no concrete details yet on any such proposal, stressing that significant technical work and, on Moscow's side, political willingness would be required before any sweeping accord could be reached.^[1]

Zelenskyy's insistence on written guarantees reflects lessons Kyiv draws from the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, when Ukraine gave up its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal in exchange for commitments from Russia, the US and the UK to respect its sovereignty, commitments Russia tore up with its 2014 annexation of Crimea and its full-scale invasion in 2022. He has argued repeatedly that only firm, treaty-like guarantees, backed by specific countries and their militaries and economies, can convince Ukrainians to accept any negotiated end to the war and reassure investors weighing whether to fund the country's massive reconstruction needs.^[1]

European and US officials have floated models ranging from long-term bilateral defense pacts with Ukraine to a "Israel-style" support package that would bind future American administrations to a baseline of military and financial aid, but internal divisions in NATO and skepticism in some Western capitals about open-ended commitments have slowed progress on a formal framework.^[1] As diplomats prepare for Abu Dhabi, Zelenskyy is trying to lock in as much detail as possible in writing, wary that any ambiguity could be exploited by Russia later and determined to avoid repeating what many Ukrainians now see as the empty assurances of past decades.

1. PBS News