Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff says Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to allow the U.S. and Europe to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised President Trump during a White House meeting on Monday for "breaking the deadlock" of the Ukraine War by starting a dialogue with Russia. "I really want to thank you,

The presidents of Ukraine and Russia "have not been exactly best friends," U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week, as he pushed for an in-person meeting.

European leaders wait to see if President Donald Trump's threats of tariffs and "severe consequences" will be enough to convince him to pursue real peace negotiations with Ukraine.

The Budapest guarantee failed on Feb. 24, 2022, when Putin invaded Ukraine. Needless to say, Ukraine is once bitten, twice shy. By “security guarantee,” they require a legally binding treaty that specifies ironclad commitments. As NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told Fox News, “All the details have to be hammered out.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Friday’s summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska will be an important test for Putin.

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss territory, security guarantees and the need for Ukraine to decide its own future, NATO chief Mark Rutte said.

Ukraine's European allies have prioritized securing security guarantees for Kyiv as a core precondition for any deal to end the Ukraine war.