Ukraine to unveil security guarantees framework next week: Zelensky
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Zelensky said Ukraine's security guarantees framework will be finalized next week, while Lavrov warned that any NATO troop presence in Ukraine is unacceptable to Russia.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during his briefing with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday that a framework outlining possible security guarantees for Kiev will be completed and unveiled in the coming days.
Following his August 18 meeting at the White House, Zelensky confirmed that progress is underway. "We talked a lot [with allies] about security guarantees. Now national security advisers are working on developing each specific component. The entire framework will be on paper next week," he wrote on Telegram.
The matter was a key focus during Zelensky's talks with US President Donald Trump and several European leaders in Washington, discussions that were shaped by Trump's recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where potential solutions to the ongoing conflict were assessed.
Diplomatic maneuvering
The guarantees framework is expected to draw support from a European-led "coalition of the willing," with countries such as Britain and France preparing military and civilian commitments for post-ceasefire security arrangements. Turkey has also been mentioned as a potential partner in regional security, particularly in the Black Sea.
Russia, however, has pushed back strongly. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that the deployment of NATO member states' troops in Ukraine, "under any flag and in any capacity," would be considered a direct threat to Moscow.
"Moscow will not accept it under any circumstances," he said. At the same time, Russian officials have insisted that any deal providing guarantees for Kiev must also extend credible security assurances to Russia.
Conflict on the ground
The diplomatic activity unfolds against a backdrop of escalating violence. On the battlefield, Russian forces have expanded their control in northeastern Ukraine, pressing around Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, and have opened a new front in the Dnipropetrovsk region, raising alarms about the war's widening scope.
Read more: Russia, US maintain Ukraine talks as Putin, Trump engage: Kremlin
While efforts continue to formalize a framework for security guarantees, the absence of a ceasefire and the intensifying Russian campaign underscore the fragility of the situation.
European leaders are seeking to present themselves as guarantors of Ukraine's stability, but Russia's warnings and battlefield gains highlight the obstacles facing any lasting diplomatic settlement.
