Ukraine will have to cede territory for security guarantees, US President’s National Security Advisor

Ukraine will have to give up some of its territory in exchange for future security guarantees, the US President’s National Security Advisor, Mike Walz, has said.

Speaking to ABC News, Walz suggested that territorial concessions could be part of a broader agreement to end the war with Russia.

“This will be a certain type of territory in exchange for future security guarantees,” he said.

When asked whether a peace plan would involve Ukraine relinquishing the Donbas region and forgoing NATO membership, Walz indicated that Kyiv’s accession to the alliance was unlikely.

“As the Secretary of Defense said at the NATO Defense Ministerial, a permanent path to NATO, or Ukraine’s permanent membership in NATO, is unlikely. This is not only the position of the US but also of a number of other countries,” Walz said.

Ukrainian officials have consistently maintained that they will not cede land to Russia and insist on full sovereignty over all its internationally recognized territory, including the Donbas and Crimea.