Zelenskyy to meet with Witkoff and Kushner for talks aimed at ending war

3 days ago 10

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. envoys arrived successful Berlin connected Sunday for different circular of talks intended to negociate an extremity to the war successful Ukraine, arsenic Moscow and Kyiv stuck to their sharply other views of a prospective bid deal.

Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials volition clasp a bid of meetings. He said helium volition conscionable personally with U.S. President Trump's peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner successful Berlin.

Responding to journalists' questions successful audio clips connected a WhatsApp radical chat, Zelenskyy emphasized the request for Ukraine to person steadfast guarantees from the United States and European allies that would beryllium akin to those offered to NATO members, aft the U.S. and immoderate European countries stonewalled Ukraine's bid to articulation the subject alliance.

"These information guarantees are an accidental to forestall different question of Russian aggression," helium said. "And this is already a compromise connected our part."

U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner visits Berlin

Zelenskyy emphasized that immoderate information assurances would request to beryllium legally binding and supported by the U.S. Congress, adding that helium expected an update from his squad pursuing a gathering betwixt Ukrainian and U.S. subject officials successful Stuttgart.

He said that helium volition conscionable separately with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and, possibly, different European leaders aboriginal successful the evening. He said helium hadn't yet received immoderate effect from the U.S. to Ukraine's latest proposals connected the bid plan.

Washington has tried for months to navigate the demands of each broadside arsenic Mr. Trump presses for a swift extremity to Russia's warfare and grows progressively exasperated by delays. The hunt for imaginable compromises has tally into large obstacles, including power of Ukraine's eastbound Donetsk region, which is mostly occupied by Russian forces.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to retreat its forces from the portion of the Donetsk portion inactive nether its control, among the cardinal conditions for bid — a request Zelenskyy again rejected connected Sunday.

Zelenskyy said that the U.S. had floated an thought for Ukraine to retreat from the Donetsk and make a demilitarized escaped economical portion there, a connection helium rejected arsenic unworkable.

"I bash not see this fair, due to the fact that who volition negociate this economical zone?" helium said. "If we are talking astir immoderate buffer portion on the enactment of contact, if we are talking astir immoderate economical portion and we judge that lone a constabulary ngo should beryllium determination and troops should withdraw, past the question is precise simple. If Ukrainian troops retreat 5–10 kilometers, for example, past wherefore bash Russian troops not retreat deeper into the occupied territories by the aforesaid distance?"

Zelenskyy described the contented arsenic "very sensitive" and insisted connected a frost on the enactment of contact, saying that "today a just imaginable enactment is we basal wherever we stand."

Putin's overseas affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told the concern regular Kommersant that Russian constabulary and nationalist defender would enactment successful parts of the Donetsk portion adjacent if they go a demilitarized portion nether a prospective bid plan.

Ushakov warned that a hunt for compromise could instrumentality a agelong time, noting that the U.S. proposals that took into relationship Russian demands had been "worsened" by alterations projected by Ukraine and its European allies.

Speaking to Russian authorities TV successful remarks broadcast Sunday, Ushakov said that "the publication of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is improbable to beryllium constructive," informing that Moscow volition "have precise beardown objections."

Ushakov added that the territorial contented was actively discussed successful Moscow erstwhile Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month. "The Americans cognize and recognize our position," helium said.

Merz, who has spearheaded European efforts to enactment Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said Saturday that "the decades of the 'Pax Americana' are mostly implicit for america successful Europe and for america successful Germany arsenic well."

He warned that Putin's purpose is "a cardinal alteration to the borders successful Europe, the restoration of the aged Soviet Union wrong its borders." "If Ukraine falls, helium won't stop," Merz warned connected Saturday during a enactment league successful Munich.

Putin has denied plans to reconstruct the Soviet Union oregon onslaught immoderate European allies.