Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not confirm Tusk’s comments, telling journalists on Tuesday: “These are the troops of the United States, and only the U.S. makes such decisions.” Responding to questions on WhatsApp, Zelenskyy added: “Of course, we discuss this both with President Trump and with representatives of the coalition of the willing. We would like this. It would be a strong position for security guarantees.” Tusk made his remarks earlier Tuesday after high-level talks involving leaders from key European countries, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. 'Peace is on the horizon'The discussions, part of the Berlin Format — a diplomatic initiative aimed at advancing the Ukraine peace process — followed Donald Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy in Florida on Sunday. “Peace is on the horizon, there is no doubt that things have happened that give grounds for hope that this war can end, and quite quickly, but it is still a hope, far from 100% certain,” Tusk told a government meeting after the talks. “When I say peace is on the horizon, I'm talking about the coming weeks, not the coming months or years,” he said. Tusk cited U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv as the main reason for hope that the conflict could end soon. He added that these could “include the presence of American troops along the contact line between Ukraine and Russia” after a peace deal is reached. “These fairly unambiguous declarations have appeared for the first time. We will see how consistent our partners on the other side of the Atlantic will be,” Tusk said. However, neither Kyiv nor Washington, nor any other European leader, has publicly confirmed that the United States is prepared to deploy troops to Ukraine. Tusk stressed that Kyiv would still need to compromise on territorial issues. He said the Ukrainian people would have to give their consent when it comes to territorial decisions, adding that it is “obvious that this possible consent must be conditional on real, reliable security guarantees for Ukraine after the possible conclusion of peace.” Call for unity