Germany Intensive Ukraine negotiations continue in Berlin
The diplomatic wrangling over a possible end to the war in Ukraine continues today at the highest level in Berlin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj and the US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff want to continue their intensive talks.
15.12.2025, 05:51
SDA
Selenskyj will also be received by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), followed by a European summit meeting in the evening with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, among others.
On Sunday evening, after several hours of talks with the Ukrainian delegation in the Chancellery, the US side had expressed a positive view. "Much progress" had been made, Witkoff wrote on Platform X. The 20-point peace plan, economic issues and other questions were discussed in depth. They will meet again in the morning. The US delegation also includes the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner.
The details of the proposals negotiated by both sides were not initially made public. Selensky left the Chancellery after around five and a half hours. Both sides stated that the talks would continue today, Monday. The format was initially unclear.
The current talks are still about the central issues of the territorial cessions demanded by Russia, the security guarantees for Kiev and the question of the use of the Russian central bank's assets frozen in the EU, it was said.
Russia expresses suspicion
Russia is not taking part in the talks. If there is a peace plan agreed between the USA, Ukraine and the Europeans in the near future, it will initially remain completely open as to whether and to what extent Moscow will agree to the proposals. Prior to the most recent talks, Russia had expressed suspicion. The contributions of the Europeans and Ukraine to Trump's peace plan would "hardly be constructive", said Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy advisor to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
Public appearance at economic talks
Merz and Selensky are expected to attend German-Ukrainian economic talks in the afternoon. Merz has invited European heads of state and government as well as EU and NATO leaders to the Chancellery in the evening to discuss the status of the Ukraine talks. Selenskyj will also be received by Bundestag President Julia Klöckner at midday.
Meanwhile, the EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and to decide on a further intensification of action against the so-called Russian shadow fleet.
Changed focus in negotiating positions
On the way to Berlin, Selensky gave a brief insight into the current negotiating positions of the Ukrainian side. According to him, it is currently hopeless to insist on NATO membership as a security guarantee. He therefore announced binding "bilateral security guarantees" with the USA and other countries as a new negotiating objective.
The guarantees should roughly correspond to Article Five of the NATO Treaty, i.e. at least open up the possibility of direct military assistance in the event of a renewed Russian invasion. "This is already a compromise on our part," said Zelensky.
According to Zelensky, Kiev cannot afford to think about the current negotiation process failing. If it does fail, then "we have to pull ourselves together, find another way and do everything we can again to end this war", said the President.
No direct dialog with the Russian side
Selensky emphasized that there is currently no direct dialogue with the Russian side. Instead, the American side is communicating the Russian positions. Kiev, on the other hand, not only discusses bilateral relations with the USA, but also the Ukrainian reaction to the "signals from the Russians". Compromises from the Russian side can only be expected if the USA and other allies exert pressure.
Since November, Washington has been trying to end the Russian war of aggression, which has been going on for almost four years, with a new peace plan. The first version of the plan was criticized by Kiev and the Europeans as being far too Russia-friendly. After various rounds of negotiations, new drafts of the proposed peace plan were produced.
