Breaking point: Ukraine has received what it was seeking from the United States

U.S. officials told Reuters that envoys of President Donald Trump offered security guarantees to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during talks in Berlin, but warned that such an agreement would not remain on the table indefinitely.

The discussions in the German capital sparked some optimism among European leaders about the path to ending the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. However, Moscow has yet to agree to any of the proposals discussed in Berlin and has shown no willingness to do so.

“We are trying to get there,” Trump said at the White House regarding the agreement to end the war. “We’ve had many conversations with Russian President [Vladimir] Putin, and I think we’re closer than ever before, and we’ll see what we can do,” he added.

European leaders cautiously welcomed the Trump administration’s shift on security guarantees for Ukraine.

“For the first time since the start of the war, the possibility of a ceasefire is imaginable,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the meetings in Berlin, in a post on X.

“Today I felt for the first time… that everyone acts like allies on the same side,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters on a plane after leaving Berlin. “For the first time, I heard from U.S. negotiators… that America will engage in security guarantees for Ukraine in such a way that the Russians will have no doubt that the U.S. response will be military if the Russians attack Ukraine again.”

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that the question of security guarantees had become “clearer and more credible,” calling it an important step toward sustainable peace. “But many difficult questions remain, not just about territories but also about whether Russia even wants peace,” Kristersson said in a statement after the Berlin talks.

Territorial Concessions

After the talks, Zelensky said he would ask the United States to impose sanctions on Russia and provide Ukraine with more weapons, including long-range arms, if Moscow rejects the proposals being discussed between Kyiv, Washington, and European leaders.

“I think America will apply sanction pressure and give us more weapons if he [Putin] refuses everything,” Zelensky told reporters.

Kyiv supports the idea of a ceasefire, particularly to protect energy infrastructure, during the Christmas period.

The United States is reportedly pressuring Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the eastern Donetsk region, a major concession that could trigger strong domestic opposition.

Zelensky, who has previously called territorial concessions “painful,” reiterated after the talks that Ukraine will not recognize Donbas as Russian, neither “de jure nor de facto.”

U.S. officials told reporters in a conference call that they had secured agreement on 90% of issues. While longstanding territorial questions remain, one official said: “We have a range of different solutions we are proposing to bridge the gap.”

Ukraine has previously stated it will not cede territory to Russia, which has occupied nearly 20% of the country in the east and south since the large-scale invasion in February 2022.

A European source familiar with the latest talks said Russia has not abandoned its territorial demands. “The atmosphere is good, but the objectives remain quite distant,” the source said.

NATO-Style Guarantees

In Berlin, Zelensky met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as European leaders.

Kyiv is under intense pressure from Trump to make concessions to Russia.

One U.S. official later told reporters that, under the agreement being discussed in Berlin, Ukraine would receive security guarantees similar to those in NATO’s Article 5, which obliges the alliance to defend any member that is attacked.

Zelensky said the security guarantees document under discussion is detailed and not just a framework, though he added it still needs to be refined.

Working groups are expected to meet in the United States this weekend, possibly in Miami, one U.S. official said. “Are we ready to go to Russia if needed? Absolutely,” the official added.

In a joint statement, leaders of several European countries, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, said there was “strong convergence” with the United States and outlined goals for both sides to work on.

These include commitments to support Ukrainian armed forces, Europe-led peacekeeping forces, and guarantees of the use of force if Ukraine is attacked again, as well as support for Ukraine’s EU membership efforts.

On Sunday, Ukraine announced that it is ready to give up its NATO membership ambitions in exchange for Western security guarantees.

It remains unclear how much the Berlin talks could convince Russia to agree to a ceasefire.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia’s demand that Ukraine not join NATO is a fundamental issue in negotiations over a possible peace solution. He said Russia expects an update from the United States following the Berlin talks.