US offers Ukraine 'strong' security guarantees but territory still unresolved

The US has said it is ready to offer Ukraine Nato-like security guarantees to safeguard an eventual ceasefire, following talks in Berlin with European officials and a delegation from Kyiv.

The "very strong" guarantees would be modelled on Nato's Article 5 clause of mutual protection, US officials said, adding that the Russians would hopefully agree to them.

While US officials talked up progress towards ending the war, there was little detail on how the thorny issue of Ukraine's sovereignty would be resolved in any peace deal.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky described the meeting as "productive" but not easy.

He added that Kyiv needed a "clear understanding of security guarantees" before it could make any decisions about other contentious issues.