The United States has offered Ukraine post-war security guarantees for a period of 15 years with the possibility of further extension. This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the Axios publication.
According to him, this period is not enough, and Kyiv will insist on longer commitments. Zelenskyy added that he would consider it a “great success” if during the meeting with US President Donald Trump, scheduled for December 28 in Florida, it is possible to agree on a longer term of guarantees.
According to the head of state, the draft documents on security guarantees for Ukraine have generally been prepared, but a number of technical aspects are currently being agreed upon. One of the key issues remains the duration of the future agreement.
15 years of guarantees – have there been such precedents in history before
The United States’ proposal for 15-year security guarantees for Ukraine is quite unique in its term, although the practice of providing similar obligations outside NATO is not new for the United States.
Typically, American security agreements are either indefinite in nature (if these are full-fledged defense agreements) or have a shorter term (10 years).
For example, the closest analogy of the proposed guarantees to Ukraine. The United States and Israel conclude 10-year agreements on military assistance:
- 1998-2007 – Israel received an average of $2.4 billion per year;
- 2008-2017 – annual transfer to Israel $2.9-3.1 billion;
- 2019-2028 – $38 billion in aid to Israel.
At the same time, this is not a collective defense treaty (like NATO), but a commitment to maintain Israel’s “qualitative military advantage.” Discussions began in 2025 about moving to 20-year agreements.
