European leaders are shaping Ukraine's fate; Could the decision from Berlin change the course of the war?

A series of meetings between European and Ukrainian officials continues today following Sunday’s talks in Berlin between U.S. envoys and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, aimed at securing peace and security on the continent in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, reports AP.

On Sunday, Zelensky met in the office of the German chancellor with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, hoping to bring an end to the war that has lasted nearly four years.

Washington has been trying for months to reconcile the demands of both sides, while Trump insists on a rapid resolution of the conflict and is growing increasingly impatient with delays. However, the search for compromises faces major obstacles, including the question of control over Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, largely held by Russian forces.

On Sunday, Zelensky expressed willingness to abandon Ukraine’s bid to join NATO if the U.S. and other Western countries provide Kyiv with security guarantees similar to those enjoyed by alliance members. Nevertheless, Ukraine continues to resist U.S. pressure to cede territory to Russia.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that one of the key conditions for peace is that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the parts of Donetsk still under its control. Putin has also portrayed Ukraine’s NATO ambitions as a major threat to Moscow’s security and a justification for launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Kremlin demands that Ukraine renounce membership in the alliance as part of any peace agreement. Zelensky emphasized that all Western security guarantees must be legally binding and confirmed by the U.S. Congress.

“Pax Americana” is over

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who, along with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leads European efforts to support Ukraine, stated on Saturday that “decades of ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe, as well as in Germany.”

He warned that Putin’s goal is “a fundamental redrawing of borders in Europe, restoring the old Soviet Union within its former boundaries.”

“If Ukraine falls, he will not stop,” Merz cautioned during a party conference in Munich.

Meanwhile, Macron pledged on Sunday via the social media platform X that “France will be, and remain, alongside Ukraine to build a strong and lasting peace – one that can guarantee the long-term security and sovereignty of Ukraine, as well as Europe.”