US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reached an understanding on what the White House described as “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine during their recent summit in Alaska. The announcement was made on Sunday by top US envoy Steve Witkoff, who also noted that Washington is preparing for a follow-up meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders.
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Witkoff revealed that Moscow had accepted concessions involving five contested Ukrainian regions, with particular focus on the war-torn Donetsk province.
“We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing,” Witkoff said. He added, “The Russians made some concessions at the table with regard to all five of those regions. There is an important discussion with regard to Donetsk and what would happen there. And that discussion is going to specifically be detailed on Monday.”
President Trump is scheduled to host Zelensky and key European leaders in Washington on Monday to explore potential pathways to ending Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.
The Alaska talks marked a shift in the US approach, as Trump moved away from pressing for an immediate ceasefire — a demand that Ukraine and European allies had previously championed, though they were not invited to the summit with Putin.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC that while “a ceasefire is not off the table,” the broader US objective remains “an end to this war.”
Trump himself, in a brief Truth Social post, declared “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA,” but did not provide further details.
Those expected in Washington for Monday’s discussions include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and other European leaders.
