A senior Ukrainian negotiator stated that U.S. and Ukrainian officials achieved “real progress” during two days of talks in Berlin, as Washington pushes for a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, while Kyiv seeks to avoid an agreement that would favor Moscow.
Rustem Umerov, part of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s negotiation team, wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“Over the past two days, Ukraine–U.S. negotiations have been constructive and productive, and real progress has been made.”
Ukrainian officials met with White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and other members of the U.S. and Russian delegations in Berlin.
Umerov added that the Americans are working “extremely constructively to help Ukraine find a path toward a sustainable peace agreement”, expressing hope that a deal could bring the region closer to peace. However, he did not specify whether a final agreement was expected immediately.
President Zelensky is also scheduled to meet leaders of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, as well as other European leaders and the NATO chief, in Berlin later on 15 December.
Key Issues Remain Unresolved
According to media reports, the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations have not reached agreement on the status of large parts of Ukrainian territory, especially in Donetsk, which remains under Kyiv’s control despite Russian efforts to capture Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk regions).
An unidentified official told Reuters that the Ukrainian side informed the Americans that the territorial issue remained unresolved as of 15 December and required further discussion. U.S. negotiators reportedly insisted on 14 December that Ukraine consider withdrawing troops from Donetsk.
Zelensky and NATO Considerations
Ahead of the talks, Zelensky indicated that Ukraine might relinquish NATO membership aspirations in exchange for Western security guarantees.
“From the start, Ukraine’s desire has been to join NATO; these are real security guarantees,” Zelensky said.
“Some U.S. and European partners do not support this path. Therefore, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the U.S., Article 5–style guarantees, and security guarantees from European partners, as well as Canada and Japan, are options to prevent another Russian invasion.”
Zelensky described these measures as a compromise, emphasizing that any security guarantee must be legally binding.
Moscow’s key demand is that Kyiv never joins the Western military alliance, and many NATO members, including the U.S., have ruled out Ukrainian membership at least under current conditions.
