Editor’s note: This story is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Germany on Dec. 14 to meet with U.S. officials and European leaders in Berlin, as talks continue to finalize a peace plan to end Russia’s full-scale war.
The visit is part of renewed diplomatic efforts, after the U.S. backed a 28-point plan that many viewed as effectively pushing Ukraine toward capitulation in Russia’s all-out war. The proposal was subsequently reduced to 20 points following consultations with Ukrainian and European representatives.
Washington continues to pressure Kyiv to advance negotiations, amid fresh accusations from U.S. President Donald Trump that Zelensky is refusing to accept the American plan.
Zelensky said he will hold talks with European leaders and Trump’s envoys to discuss “the foundation of peace — a political agreement to end the war.”
This trip will focus on “how to reliably guarantee security for Ukraine so that the experience of the Budapest Memorandum and Russia’s invasion never happens again,” he announced upon arrival.
Special U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and advisor, have already arrived in Berlin for the talks, AP reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also attend the meetings with Witkoff scheduled for Dec. 14 and 15, the Wall Street Journal wrote.
Recently, Ukraine and its European partners have submitted their revision to the U.S.-backed peace framework to Washington, seeking to alter provisions that would require sweeping concessions from Kyiv.
Speaking to journalists en route to Berlin, Zelensky said that Kyiv has not yet received a response from the U.S. to its revised peace proposals, but added that he is ready for dialogue. The president noted that he will talk to Merz and possibly other European leaders later on Dec. 14.
“There won’t be a plan that everybody will like,” Zelensky said, stressing that the peace proposal must be just, effective, and prevent Moscow from launching renewed aggression against Ukraine.
As the U.S. and some European partners did not back Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, Kyiv instead seeks “Article 5-like” bilateral guarantees from the U.S., European allies, Canada, and Japan, he noted.
“And that’s already a compromise from our side,” Zelensky said, adding that such guarantees must be confirmed by the U.S. Congress.
The president confirmed that Ukraine is not leading a “direct dialogue with the Russian side,” as Moscow’s positions are relayed by the U.S.
Earlier on Dec. 14, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that Moscow had not yet reviewed the Ukrainian and European revisions to the peace plan, but added that they “will likely not be constructive.” Ushakov stressed that Moscow is determined to stand its ground on territorial issues.
The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine cede the entire Donetsk Oblast, including territory that Russian forces have been unable to capture, as a key condition for any peace deal.
Speaking about Donbas, Zelensky said the only fair option would be a ceasefire based on the “we stand where we stand” principle, with both sides resolving the issue diplomatically.
Any proposal for a “free economic zone” or a “demilitarized zone” would make sense only if both sides withdraw their forces symmetrically, Zelensky added, calling it a “question that currently has no answer.”
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