Berlin (TDI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that talks in Berlin with envoys of US President Donald Trump on ending the war with Russia were difficult but yielded “real progress,” particularly on the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine.
Zelensky met for a second consecutive day with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as part of efforts to advance a peace proposal initially put forward by Trump to end the conflict triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
While welcoming what he described as new and meaningful security assurances offered by Washington, Zelensky acknowledged that significant differences remain, especially over the question of territory.
“There has been enough dialogue on territorial issues, and frankly, our positions still differ,” Zelensky told reporters, without elaborating on specific concessions under discussion.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz struck an optimistic note, saying the talks had opened a “real chance for a peace process” and praising the United States for putting forward what he called “substantial” security guarantees.
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From Washington, President Trump said he would later hold a phone call with Zelensky and a group of European leaders meeting in Berlin, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were also expected to take part.
US officials said Washington had proposed strong, NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine and expressed confidence that Moscow would accept them, describing the offer as a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the war.
Trump has previously ruled out Ukraine’s formal membership in NATO and has echoed Russian claims that Kyiv’s aspirations to join the alliance contributed to the conflict.
Chancellor Merz said any ceasefire agreement must be backed by strong legal and material guarantees from both the United States and Europe, calling Washington’s proposals “a very important step forward.”
Despite progress on security, territorial disagreements remain unresolved. An official briefed on the talks said the US side continues to press Ukraine to relinquish control of the eastern Donbas region, comprising Donetsk and Lugansk, most of which is currently under Russian control. Kyiv, the official said, has so far refused.
Trump has previously suggested that some territorial concessions by Ukraine may be unavoidable, a stance strongly rejected by Zelensky, who has consistently ruled out surrendering sovereign land.
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Russia, meanwhile, has signalled it will not back down from its core demands, including territorial claims and assurances that Ukraine will never join NATO. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was awaiting details of the proposals discussed in Berlin.
Chancellor Merz reiterated Germany’s long-term support for Ukraine, condemning what he described as “Putin’s criminal attack” and stressing that Europe’s security is inseparable from Ukraine’s future.
“A lasting peace in Europe is only possible with a free, sovereign and strong Ukraine, one capable of defending itself today and in the years ahead,” Merz said. “The fate of Ukraine is the fate of Europe.”
