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World leaders haggle over Ukraine peace proposals

Aug 21, 2025, 7:09am EDT
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The aftermath of a Russian strike on Ukraine.
Roman Baluk/Reuters

World leaders and officials made myriad proposals and demands as part of efforts to end the Ukraine war, but there was little agreement on a path forward.

Italy’s prime minister won some European support for a plan to offer Kyiv a NATO-like security guarantee without Ukraine actually joining the alliance.

The White House has so far been reluctant to make explicit promises, with Politico reporting that a top US official told transatlantic military leaders that Washington would play a minimal role in any European plan.

Moscow and Kyiv have demands, too: The Kremlin — whose forces invaded Ukraine — wants a veto over any security guarantee, while Kyiv says it will only attend talks with Russia when that guarantee is agreed.

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