German government spokesman Stephan Cornelius said the talks in Berlin concern economic issues and “an exchange of views on the status of the peace talks on Ukraine.”
On the eve of his flight to Berlin, Zelensky said that the talks in Germany would bring the end of the conflict closer.
“There will be meetings I will have with representatives of President Trump, there will also be meetings with our European partners, with many leaders on the foundation of peace – a political agreement to end the war. Now the chance is significant,” the Ukrainian president said.
Speaking to reporters, Zelensky recognized the difficult position of Ukraine in the upcoming negotiations. He noted that the US and EU leaders were against Kiev’s joining NATO, although this was Ukraine’s “main desire”. The Ukrainian president allowed the possibility of giving up attempts to join the alliance if a bilateral agreement with the US is reached and guarantees from the EU and other countries are secured. However, he strongly opposed another point from Trump’s plan – the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the part of Donbass controlled by them. In his opinion, such a step would be unfair and should be accompanied by the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region.
According to The New York Times, Zelensky did not rule out a fully U.S.-backed proposal that would involve turning the Donbass territory into a “free economic zone” or “demilitarized zone” from which Ukrainian forces would be withdrawn, but to which Russian forces would not have access either.
However, the US administration insists that Zelensky should hurry up his response to the American initiatives. As reported by the Financial Times, Trump hopes to conclude a peace agreement already by Catholic Christmas, that is, by December 25. To achieve this goal, U.S. negotiators are ready to make compromises.
In an interview with the newspaper Politico Trump did not directly answer the question whether he gave Kiev a deadline for a deal. He noted that Ukraine was losing, and therefore recommended Zelensky to accept the proposed terms.
Note that Washington has been trying to mediate between the demands of both sides for several months. Trump insists on an early end to the war with Russia and is increasingly nervous about delays. The search for possible compromises faces serious obstacles, including control over eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which is largely occupied by Russian troops, and security guarantees for Ukraine.
