Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said a US-backed document outlining security guarantees for Ukraine is “100 per cent” ready to be signed, describing it as a major step toward ending the war with Russia.
Zelensky said he was waiting for confirmation of the time and venue for the signing, after which the agreement would be sent to the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament for ratification.
“For us, security guarantees are first and foremost guarantees of security from the United States,” Zelensky said. “The document is 100 per cent ready, and we are waiting for our partners to confirm the date and place when we will sign it.”
The announcement comes despite the absence of an immediate breakthrough from weekend trilateral talks involving Russian and Ukrainian negotiators and American mediators in Abu Dhabi. Shortly after the talks ended, Russia launched a fresh wave of overnight attacks on Ukraine, killing at least one person and leaving millions without electricity and heating during subzero temperatures.
Ukrainian authorities said the strikes targeted central heating and power infrastructure, leaving many civilians without warmth. Zelensky said Russia launched more than 370 attack drones and 21 missiles of various types.
Talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday marked the first face-to-face discussions between Russian and Ukrainian representatives focused on proposals linked to the Trump administration’s peace plan. American officials suggested the discussions went “better than expected,” raising the possibility of a future summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky.
The Kremlin said the talks were held in a “constructive spirit” but cautioned that significant work remained. “It would be a mistake to expect any significant results from the initial contacts,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “But the very fact that these contacts have begun in a constructive spirit can be viewed positively. However, there is significant work ahead.”
Russia’s delegation was led by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the GRU military intelligence agency, while Ukraine was represented by Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov. The US team reportedly included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Despite signs of cautious optimism behind closed doors, divisions remain sharp, particularly over the eastern Donbas region. Zelensky has repeatedly said Ukraine will not surrender the territory, warning it could serve as a launchpad for future Russian attacks. Donbas is strategically significant, containing major industrial assets and mineral resources, including lithium, uranium and rare earths.
Putin has insisted that Russia wants full control of the region, which Ukraine still partly holds and has defended at heavy cost since the start of the invasion. A US-backed proposal would turn Donbas into a demilitarised free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Ukraine, though Moscow is widely expected to reject the idea.
Further talks are scheduled to continue in Abu Dhabi. Zelensky has said he is willing to abandon Ukraine’s bid to join NATO as a concession toward ending the nearly four-year war, in exchange for what he described as “legally binding” security guarantees from the United States and its allies.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression, and this is already a compromise on our part,” he said.
Meanwhile, the latest Russian strikes left more than a million people in Kyiv and Chernihiv without power, with about half of Kyiv’s apartment buildings reportedly cut off from heating. The European Union accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, while Ukrainian authorities said the energy sector remains under a state of emergency due to sustained attacks.
