Talks were held in Berlin on December 14-15 between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of Donald Trump's administration, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The first round lasted about five hours, and according to Ukrainian media the second continued for roughly two more.
Witkoff said the sides had made “significant progress” and held detailed discussions on a peace settlement and economic issues. At the same time, a source cited by The Wall Street Journal described the negotiations as difficult because Washington was unwilling to compromise.
According to Politico, Europe is trying to influence the final version of the peace plan. The original US draft reportedly contained 28 points favorable to Russia, including giving up Donbas, abandoning NATO membership, and reducing the army. After a meeting in Geneva on November 23, the plan was cut to 19 points, leaving the most sensitive issues for direct discussion between Trump and Zelensky.
As The Guardian reported, citing AFP, the US is still demanding that Ukraine cede Donbas. Kyiv rejects that condition. Politico says Zelensky is ready to discuss a compromise on NATO membership only in exchange for functioning collective security guarantees similar to Article 5. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe needs not promises on paper but real troops and capabilities to protect Ukraine.
At the same time, the EU is preparing for its December 18-19 summit in Brussels, where leaders are expected to discuss using frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv. Of the more than 200 billion euros in Russian central bank assets frozen in Europe, 185 billion are held by Belgium's Euroclear. Belgium, Italy, Bulgaria, Malta, and the Czech Republic, however, want alternative funding mechanisms to be considered.
“This is a decision about Europe's future, and it will determine whether the EU still remains a meaningful player,” a German official told Politico.