Vladimir Putin agrees to major Ukraine security guarantees during Donald Trump talks
Vladimir Putin has reportedly signed off on a dramatic peace deal which would see the US and Europe give Ukraine sweeping new security guarantees.
Donald Trump's right-hand man Steve Witkoff confirmed the shock move, just minutes after the ex-President boasted of 'big progress on Russia'.
In a stunning twist, Russia is even said to have made concessions on the five regions it illegally claimed – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. Diplomatic insiders say Putin could accept a territorial swap to keep Donetsk and Luhansk in return for halting advances in the south. It comes after Putin warns of nuclear war after unleashing another night of hell on Ukraine.
Witkoff said: 'We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing. The US could offer Article 5-style protection – one of the main reasons Ukraine wants NATO membership. We covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal.'
The breakthrough comes on the eve of crunch talks in Washington between Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, with Sir Keir Starmer and a string of European heavyweights flying in to show support. Starmer will join Zelensky at the White House, with No10 insisting Britain's backing for Ukraine will remain 'for as long as it takes'.
Also lining up alongside the Ukrainian leader are EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, French president Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz and NATO boss Mark Rutte, the Sun reports.
Sources say Zelensky begged Europe's top brass to come with him as 'moral support and solidarity' ahead of the showdown with Trump.
It will be Zelensky's first return to the Oval Office since his fiery bust-up with Trump and JD Vance earlier this year, when he was humiliatingly kicked out of the White House.
The move piles pressure on Putin, who has been scrambling to claw back influence after his own peace summit with Trump in Alaska. But despite the frantic diplomacy, both Russia and Ukraine were still trading drone strikes today, underlining just how fragile the path to peace remains.
Putin's deal reportedly goes beyond Ukraine's borders, with draft provisions suggesting Moscow would commit not to launch attacks against other European nations.
In exchange, Kyiv would halt its NATO membership bid, formally recognise Crimea as Russian territory, and agree to a land swap involving Donetsk and Luhansk.
Western diplomats told Reuters that the package also includes phased sanctions relief if Russia holds to the ceasefire.
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