After five hours of talks on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will again meet US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner today, as diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine increase.
Zelenskyy has indicated that Kyiv is prepared to drop its long-held ambition of joining NATO as he held meetings with US envoys and European allies in Berlin on Sunday.
He is set to push on with talks in Berlin today with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Zelenskyy described the proposal as a concession by Kyiv, after years of pressing for NATO membership as the strongest deterrent against future Russian attacks.
The US, European partners and other allies could instead provide legally binding security guarantees.
While Zelenskyy signaled that Ukraine may be ready to drop its bid to join NATO in exchange for security guarantees, Kyiv continued to reject the US push for ceding territory to Russia.
The decision to send Witkoff, who has previously led negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow, suggested Washington saw scope for progress.
Germany’s Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius said that it was a “good sign” that Trump had sent his envoys.
“It’s certainly anything but an ideal setup for such negotiations. That much is clear. But as they say, you can only dance with the people on the dance floor.”
Boris Pistorius
Kyiv’s offer to give up its NATO aspirations in exchange for security guarantees, Pistorius said that Ukraine had a bitter experience of relying on security assurances.
Kyiv had in 1994 agreed to give up its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal in exchange for territorial guarantees from the US, Russia and the United Kingdom.
“Therefore, it remains to be seen to what extent this statement Zelenskyy has now made will actually hold true, and what preconditions must be met. This concerns territorial issues, commitments from Russia and others.”
Boris Pistorius
He added that mere security guarantees, especially without significant US involvement, “wouldn’t be worth much.”
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine, Europe and the US were reviewing a 20-point plan that could culminate in a ceasefire though he reiterated that Kyiv was not holding direct talks with Russia.
He said that a truce along current front lines could be considered fair, while noting that Russia continues to demand a Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donetsk and Luhansk still under Kyiv’s control.
Other European leaders will also hold meetings in the German capital throughout the day.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Zelenskyy are expected to meet in the afternoon. Later in the evening, NATO officials and European leaders including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss the status of the Ukraine talks.
European leaders are expected to cement support for Ukraine as it faces Washington’s pressure to swiftly accept a US-brokered peace deal.
Russia Welcomes Zelenskyy’s Suggestion To Give Up NATO Ambition
Russia welcomed the suggestion that Ukraine could give up on its NATO Ambition in exchange for Western security guarantees.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “Naturally this issue is one of the cornerstones and, of course, it is subject to special discussion.”
He said that Russia expects an update from the US after the talks in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded Ukraine officially drop its NATO bid and withdraw troops from the roughly 10 percent of the eastern area of Donbas which Kyiv still controls.
Russia has also said Ukraine must be a neutral country and no NATO troops can be stationed in it.
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