WASHINGTON – Former United States ambassador to NATO, Nicholas Burns, has cautioned that any peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine must be backed by security guarantees, arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s promises cannot be trusted.
Speaking on Friday, Burns said Putin “never meets his promises” and urged the U.S. and European nations to maintain pressure on Moscow. He pointed to a European-led security force, spearheaded by Britain and France, as critical for ensuring the durability of any deal.
More than half a dozen European leaders, including those of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, as well as NATO and European Commission chiefs, are in Washington this week for meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Burns criticised Trump’s decision to meet Putin in Alaska earlier this week without European partners, saying it risked sidelining their joint position, but suggested the ongoing talks at the White House could shift that dynamic.
Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, a senior aide to Putin, posted on X that Trump had downplayed the need for a ceasefire, quoting the U.S. president as saying, “All of the peace deals I made were made without a ceasefire.” The Kremlin has consistently resisted calls for a ceasefire, instead pushing for what it terms a “comprehensive settlement” to the conflict.
Analysts have voiced concern over Trump’s stance. Nigel Gould-Davies of the International Institute for Strategic Studies described it as troubling that the U.S. leader appeared to adopt Moscow’s line that a ceasefire was unnecessary, insisting the war should end only through a broader settlement.
During the Oval Office discussions, Zelensky sought to strengthen ties with Trump, delivering a personal letter from his wife to the U.S. president for Melania Trump. The gesture set a warmer tone than previous encounters, with Trump later assuring that America’s involvement in Ukraine’s defense “is never the end of the road.”
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