NATO ambassador says Ukraine peace deal could be ‘on the cusp’ as nations near finalization of security pact

Negotiations over security guarantees for Ukraine may be nearing a breakthrough. 

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said allied nations are close to locking in a framework that would pave the way for a peace deal with Russia during an appearance on “Fox & Friends First” as talks begin in Paris.

“What we should expect is really a finalization of a couple of agreements. One is the Coalition of the Willing, which is about 50 allied countries, many of them in NATO are going to agree to a certain security framework for Ukraine,” he said Tuesday. 

“And so is the United States, both as part of that Coalition of Willing and separately.”

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker is seen following an interview at the Bled Strategic Forum in Bled, Slovenia, on Sept. 2, 2025. (Petar Santini/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This agreement could pave the way for a final peace deal with Russia. 

“We’re really very far down the road. This is a great development, and we could be on the cusp of a peace deal,” Whitaker added. “While we continue to pray for peace, we’re also doing all the hard work to make sure we can sustain that peace.”

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The United States will be represented by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a “Coalition of the Willing” meeting of international partners on Ukraine on Oct. 24, 2025, in London. (Henry Nicholls/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be absent due to obligations related to the U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, a move Whitaker called “a big win for the United States of America and the security of the Western Hemisphere.”

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Whitaker framed the operation as a piece of a broader deterrence strategy, saying it sends a clear message to U.S. foes.

“Any adversary of the United States should be concerned about what they saw,” Whitaker said. 

“It demonstrated capabilities that no other country can execute. And at the same time, it demonstrates that the United States, when the president says something, when we draw a red line, that we’re willing to enforce that with our power.”

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He pointed to Operation Midnight Hammer, a U.S. military strike carried out in June 2025, aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear program, as another instance of Trump backing up his words with action.

“That, to me, is what ensures peace through strength,” Whitaker said.