United States President, Donald Trump, has proposed a new security agreement for Ukraine that could extend across Europe, following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, amid renewed efforts to end the war.
Trump disclosed the plan on Thursday but provided no details about its scope or implementation, saying the agreement could involve several European countries.
“It’s going to be a big agreement…It’s going to involve more than Ukraine, and I could even say it might involve all of Europe. It’s going to be a big, beautiful agreement, and everyone’s going to be thrilled,” he told reporters.
The announcement came after Trump met Dmitriev, the sanctioned chief executive of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, who also serves as an envoy for Putin.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also advocated a wider security arrangement for the continent in a statement posted on X on Thursday.
He said “a broader European security architecture” was needed to “address the security concerns of all sides, reduce the risk of future conflict, and create a more stable and predictable security environment.”
Kushner noted that Europe and Russia had struggled for more than three decades to establish a lasting security framework, citing mistrust and conflicting interests as major obstacles.
“For more than 30 years, Europe and Russia have struggled to establish a sustainable security framework. Decades of mistrust, competing security concerns, and the devastating consequences of this war make this an extraordinarily difficult challenge, but one that is essential to lasting peace,” he said.
He also called for “greater military transparency, (and) reciprocal measures to reduce escalation risks” between Russia and Europe.
The proposal could raise concerns among European countries, particularly those in eastern Europe, given Russia’s longstanding opposition to NATO’s military presence in the region.
Kushner further said Washington had held recent discussions with Ukraine, NATO and other European partners, adding that Trump had “advanced” security talks with European leaders.
However, European officials who spoke to CNN said they were unaware of the discussions being referenced.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed uncertainty over the proposed framework, warning that an agreement between Russia and Europe could pose risks if not properly handled.
Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday, Zelensky said he learnt about the proposal during a telephone conversation on Thursday with Kushner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The call was reportedly aimed at preparing for US-led negotiations between Russia and Ukraine scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi next week.
“For me, it’s not simple and it can be dangerous,” Zelensky said, stressing that negotiations to end the war should precede discussions on security guarantees.
Meanwhile, Trump spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday.
A German government official declined to disclose details of the conversation but said the Trump administration’s latest proposals were based on negotiations conducted in recent months.
It remains unclear whether Trump held similar discussions with other European leaders.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed that representatives of NATO, the United States, Ukraine, the European Union and other European partners met in Brussels on Thursday ahead of the planned trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.
Hart said the meeting “sought to advance a just and sustainable end to the war in Ukraine,” but declined to provide further details.
Dmitriev was also at the White House on Thursday for an event organised by US First Lady Melania Trump, who brought together Russian and Ukrainian representatives to mark a ceasefire achieved last week in the occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.
Trump later told reporters that he did not meet the Ukrainian delegation.
The US president has recently intensified efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict following a public disagreement with Zelensky.
However, the war continues, with Russia carrying out attacks that have killed Ukrainian civilians.
Earlier this week, Moscow reportedly dropped nine bombs on an underground shelter where people had gathered to receive humanitarian aid, killing at least 53 people in one of the deadliest attacks of the conflict, now in its fifth year.
In his daily address on Friday, Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing fresh attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and bridges across the Dnipro River.
“We now have intel that another strike is being prepared — targeting our energy sector, bridges across the Dnipro, and civilian infrastructure,” he said, while renewing his appeal to Ukraine’s allies for Patriot interceptor missiles.
Zelensky also said Kyiv was continuing attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow’s strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities.
Putin, meanwhile, has maintained demands that include Russian control over the entire eastern Donbas region, a reduction in Ukraine’s military strength and Kyiv’s abandonment of its ambition to join NATO.
Ukraine has rejected the demands, arguing that they demonstrate Moscow’s lack of genuine commitment to peace negotiations.
