BERLIN, Dec 14: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US envoys arrived in Berlin on Sunday for another round of talks aimed at negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian, US, and European officials would hold a series of meetings, including a personal discussion with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
He also planned to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and possibly other European leaders. Zelenskyy emphasized the need for legally binding security guarantees from the US and European allies, similar to NATO protections, to prevent future Russian aggression.
Key obstacles remain, particularly over Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Russian President Vladimir Putin demands that Ukraine withdraw from areas still under its control, a condition Zelenskyy rejected.
The US proposed creating a demilitarized economic zone in Donetsk, but Zelenskyy called it unfair and unworkable, insisting that any freeze should occur along the existing line of contact.
Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov warned that Russian forces would remain in parts of Donetsk even under a prospective peace plan and predicted a long, difficult negotiation process, claiming that Ukrainian and European contributions to the proposals were “unlikely to be constructive.”
European leaders also expressed concern over broader Russian ambitions. Merz warned that Putin seeks a fundamental change to Europe’s borders and a restoration of the former Soviet Union, though Putin denies such intentions.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continued exchanging aerial attacks. The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones, of which 110 were intercepted, while missile and drone strikes damaged six locations.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian families remained without power, heat, or water following the attacks.
Ukraine also conducted drone strikes on Russian facilities, hitting an oil depot in Uryupinsk and an oil refinery in Afipsky, causing fires and property damage but no reported casualties.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine seeks “peace on decent terms” and expressed readiness for constructive diplomacy, emphasizing the importance of tangible results from the ongoing negotiations. (AP)
