Second day of US-Ukraine negotiations after five hours of discussions in Berlin

2025-12-15 12:30:30, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoys held negotiations for more than five hours in Berlin, with no signs of any potential outcome, saying only that the talks would continue on Monday.

"The representatives had in-depth discussions on the 20-point peace plan, the economic agenda and more. Much progress has been made and will meet again tomorrow morning," White House envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X - formerly Twitter - on December 14.

Zelensky is also scheduled to meet with senior European officials – the leaders of Germany, Britain and France – on December 15.

It is not yet clear whether these discussions will take place separately, or combined with the US-Ukraine discussions.

Dmytro Lytvyn, spokesman for the Ukrainian Presidential Office, confirmed the resumption of talks on December 15.

Zelensky's negotiations with US and European officials are aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine, which began almost four years ago and is the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.

Before the start of the meetings, Zelensky suggested that Ukraine would give up its aspirations to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees.

However, giving up NATO is not an easy decision for Zelensky, as membership in the alliance is a goal enshrined in Ukraine's Constitution.

"From the beginning, Ukraine's desire has been to join NATO, these are real guarantees of security," Zelensky said in response to a journalist.

"Some partners from the United States and Europe do not support this direction. Therefore, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States, Article 5-style guarantees, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as from other states - Canada and Japan - are options to prevent another Russian invasion," he said.

"This is already a compromise on our part," he said, adding that any security guarantee must be legally binding.

Among Moscow's main demands is that Kiev never join the Western military alliance. Many NATO member states, including the United States, have ruled out Ukraine joining the alliance, at least under current conditions.

Moscow downplays talks in Berlin

Moscow, on the other hand, has underestimated the importance of the talks in Berlin, as the parties continue to disagree on territorial issues and security guarantees.

The presence of Witkoff - who has led negotiations with Kiev and Moscow over the US proposal - has been seen as a signal that Washington expects progress towards ending the war.

In November, the United States released a 28-point peace plan that critics believe favors Russia. Kiev and its European allies have attempted to modify the proposal to take into account Ukraine's needs.

Officials have said the plan has been rewritten into 20 points, although details have not been released.

"The plan will not be something that everyone likes," Zelensky told reporters before the start of the talks.

"There are of course many compromises in the points of the plan."

However, there are few indications that Russia will be on the same page. Speaking on Russian television on December 14, Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide, said that the proposed changes to the US peace plan “will hardly be constructive.”

Russia, Ukraine continue attacks

As diplomatic efforts continue, Ukraine and Russia have continued their attacks.

A Russian drone attack on a shopping mall in Zaporizhia has injured six people, including a child.

Ukraine's General Staff said drone strikes hit an oil depot in the Volgograd region and another oil refinery in the Krasnodar region.

Zelensky said the Russians have launched more than 1,500 drones and 46 missiles of various types against Ukraine this week.

"Russia is dragging out the war and aims to cause as much damage as possible against our people," he said, among other things.

The war in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the war a “special military operation” to demilitarize Ukraine. The West has responded to Russia by hitting the country’s economy with harsh sanctions. The war has killed thousands and displaced millions. /REL