US plan for Ukrainian settlement does not include US-backed security guarantees – media

The plan to resolve the war in Ukraine, presented by the United States to its European partners on Thursday, apparently does not include Washington's participation in ensuring Ukraine's security, which could be an obstacle to implementation, The Washington Post reports.

"The current Witkoff package would be hard for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to swallow... It [the plan] doesn't seem to include U.S.-backed security guarantees," the newspaper says, noting that this may become one of the obstacles.

Ukraine, according to the newspaper, in this case will be forced to rely on its own forces and assistance from Europe. However, "the Europeans don't have enough troops or modern weapons to deter an all-out Russian attack." "They lack the command-and-control systems needed to monitor a ceasefire and coordinate a response to future Russian aggression... Without U.S. satellite intelligence, Ukraine can't see Russia missile, drone or other attacks coming. Europeans don't have a good alternative," The Washington Post says.

As Bloomberg reported, citing sources, representatives of the authorities of European countries indicated that providing security guarantees to Kyiv is a key condition that guarantees the viability of any agreement.

According to the agency, the United States has familiarized its allies with the basics of a peace proposal for Ukraine, which, in particular, provides for the easing of sanctions against Russia.

The agency's interlocutors said the U.S. plan could lead to an effective freeze of the armed conflict while keeping the territories occupied by Russia under its control. Ukraine will be denied the opportunity to join NATO. The agency's interlocutors refused to disclose other details of the project.