WASHINGTON — President Trump’s peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner signed onto a five-point plan with European leaders in Paris Tuesday to enhance “security guarantees” for Ukraine if it reaches terms to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion.
The joint statement by major NATO allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is vague on some details but represents a step forward, including specifying a “US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism” that would “address any breaches, attribute responsibility, and determine remedies.”
Other points pledge “critical long term military assistance” to Kyiv, a “European-led” multinational peacekeeping force, additional military aid and sanctions in the “case of a future armed attack by Russia,” as well as “mutually beneficial defence [sic] cooperation with Ukraine.”
Key points remain unresolved, including Zelensky’s recent proposal for both Ukrainian and Russian forces to withdraw from frontlines in order to establish a demilitarized zone — as an alternative to agreeing to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine cede the north of Donetsk province.
UK and French leaders separately firmed up their offer to dispatch troops to monitor the frontlines if a cease-fire is reached.
Witkoff said in a statement that he and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, would have further talks with Zelensky on Tuesday night and into Wednesday — teasing business pledges to rebuild Ukraine.
“We think we’re largely finished with security protocols, which are important so that the people of Ukraine know that when this ends, it ends forever,” Witkoff said at a press conference alongside Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chanceller Friedrich Merz.
“We also think critically that we are very, very close to finishing up as robust a prosperity agreement as any country has ever seen coming out of conflicts like this,” Witkoff said.
“It will aspirationally mean large, large possibilities for the Ukrainian people, for people coming home from war who will find wonderful jobs out there. We’re working with BlackRock, Larry Fink, in this endeavor, and we think it’s going to be very, very important for the people of Ukraine, and we believe that a robust economy correlates and works directly with these security protocols.”
Witkoff said that resolving land disputes with Russia remains a sticking point.
“We heard President Zelensky and some of the other people here talking about land options. That will be the most critical issue,” he said. “And we’re going to be continuing with those discussions, and hopefully we’ll be able to meet or come up with certain compromises with regard to that.”
Witkoff said the security framework discussed Tuesday was “meant to A) deter any attacks, any further attacks in Ukraine, and B) if there are any attacks, they’re meant to defend, and they will do both. They are as strong as anyone has ever seen… [Trump] does not back down from his commitments.”
President Trump has sought to cajole Zelensky and Putin to reach a peace agreement throughout his first year back in power and has grown frustrated at points.
Zelensky met with Trump on Dec. 28 at the president’s Palm Beach, Fla., residence — with Trump saying he was again optimistic.
“You can say 95 percent, but I don’t like to say percentages. I just think we’re doing very well,” Trump said. “We could be very close. There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues. But I think we’re doing very well.”
