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A Ukrainian delegation met Sunday and Monday in Berlin with President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to try to move toward a lasting peace in Ukraine. The Russians have not participated in the meetings. “These talks are always complex, they have not been easy, but they have been productive”, explained Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the German-Ukrainian Business Forum, in which he participated alongside Merz.
Nine European presidents and heads of government have traveled to Berlin this afternoon to support Zelenski, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President António Costa and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. At the meeting, he highlighted the presence of Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni and Donald Tusk, as well as the absence of Pedro Sánchez.
The announcements of the meeting
Europeans and Americans have pledged in Berlin to “work together to provide strong security guarantees and measures to support the economic recovery of Ukraine in the context of an agreement to end the war”. They have shown readiness to provide “sustained and significant support” to Ukraine to build up its armed forces, which should remain at a peacetime level of 800,000, “to be able to deter conflict and defend the territory of Ukraine.”
They have also announced the creation of “a Ukrainian multinational force”, led by Europe and supported by the US, to “help regenerate Ukrainian forces, ensure the security of Ukrainian airspace and strengthen maritime security, including through operations inside Ukraine”. In addition, they envisage the implementation of “a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism”, led by the US and with international participation, to “provide an early warning of any future attack and to attribute and respond to any breach”.
Despite the progress made in Berlin, European leaders have recognized that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” and have considered that all parties must work hard to find a solution that can guarantee an end to the fighting. The ball is in Russia’s court, which must now show its willingness to work “for lasting peace” and accept President Trump’s peace plan and a ceasefire, according to the Europeans.
Optimism about a peace agreement
Merz, host of the meeting, was optimistic about the possibility of reaching a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia soon. The chancellor sees, “perhaps for the first time” since the outbreak of war following the Russian aggression in February 2022, “a real opportunity” for peace in Ukraine, despite the fact that no agreement has yet been reached with Moscow.
The chancellor has assured that Witkoff and Kushner have played a key role in this process. “Without his tireless effort and without President Trump’s commitment, we would not have the positive momentum we are experiencing here at this time”, added the chancellor.
The Ukrainian president, for his part, has affirmed that US negotiators have opened up to the possibility of Washington offering Kyiv security guarantees similar to those offered to NATO member countries by the Atlantic Alliance treaty.
The meeting in Berlin took place the day before the European Council. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has acknowledged that it will be difficult to reach an agreement this week on the plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine. Belgium, Italy, Malta, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, however, oppose it.
