McCaul Urges Zelenskiy to Reject Peace Agreement Unless Security Guarantees Are Strengthened
Rep. Michael McCaul on Sunday warned Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy not to sign President Donald Trump’s proposed peace agreement with Russia unless it includes firm and enforceable security guarantees, emphasizing that Kyiv cannot risk a repeat of the failed Budapest Memorandum. The Texas Republican stated that without such measures, he would not advise Ukraine to sign the agreement, citing historical failures where Ukraine relinquished nuclear weapons in exchange for assurances that were later ignored by Russia.
The draft plan, developed with input from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, includes concessions viewed as favoring Russia, such as capping Ukraine’s military at 600,000 personnel, permanently barring Kyiv from joining NATO, and requiring it to relinquish territory in the east, including areas not currently under Russian control. These terms have raised concerns among Ukrainian officials and European allies, who fear the plan amounts to a forced capitulation.
McCaul noted that Trump has criticized Ukraine for showing “zero gratitude” for U.S. efforts to mediate an end to the nearly four-year war, with the 28-point proposal setting a Thursday deadline for Zelenskyy to respond or risk losing American support. He emphasized there is flexibility in the timeline, stating that Rubio’s team will determine within the next 72 hours whether the plan moves forward.
McCaul also called for strengthening security provisions to resemble NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause, citing involvement from retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg in drafting a parallel security agreement outside the Witkoff-Russia framework. “Without that, I would not advise Ukraine to sign this,” he added.
The peace talks continued on Sunday in Geneva, where American officials met with a Ukrainian delegation.
