IRIA News

8 minute read

European leaders and U.S. envoys met in Berlin on December 15, 2025, to advance Ukraine peace talks, focusing on proposed security guarantees and the possible deployment of a multinational force as part of a future peace deal with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, held discussions with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, on Sunday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexus Grynkewich also attended the five-hour meeting at the German chancellery. As the talks resumed on Monday morning, several European leaders and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Chief Mark Rutte joined the discussions.

A brief U.S. readout described the first day of talks as productive, saying “a lot of progress was made.” Ukrainian officials also struck an upbeat tone publicly, even as differences over key issues remained unresolved.

European leaders welcomed progress in U.S.-led efforts to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine, agreeing to work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy on an agreement that preserves Ukrainian sovereignty and European security. Both the U.S. and European leaders pledged to provide strong security guarantees and economic support to Ukraine as part of a war-ending agreement, including commitments to:

• Provide sustained military support to build Ukraine’s armed forces to a peacetime strength of about 800,000 for deterrence and defense.
• Deploy a European-led multinational force, backed by the U.S., to help regenerate Ukraine’s forces and secure its airspace and seas.
• Establish a U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism with international participation to detect, attribute, and respond to violations.
• Commit to legally binding security guarantees, including military, intelligence, economic, and diplomatic measures in response to future attacks.
• Support Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including trade ties and the use of immobilised Russian assets for compensation.
• Back Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

We continue the second day of intensive diplomacy in Berlin. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine! pic.twitter.com/nSOISLDrdS

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 15, 2025

NATO Membership and Security Guarantees for Ukraine

Ahead of the talks, Zelenskyy signaled a significant shift in Ukraine’s long-held position by indicating he was prepared to give up ambitions to join NATO in exchange for robust Western security guarantees.

Acknowledging that “some partners from the U.S. and Europe” did not support Ukraine’s NATO membership bid, Zelenskyy said Kyiv was instead seeking security guarantees modelled on NATO’s Article 5 clause, which commits alliance members to mutual defense. “And this is already a compromise on our part,” Zelenskyy said on Sunday.

The U.S. has repeatedly stated it does not support Ukraine joining NATO, a position that aligns with Russia’s long-standing demands. Moscow has consistently described Ukrainian NATO membership as a red line and has insisted that any peace settlement must permanently shelve that ambition. “This issue is one of the cornerstones and requires special discussion,” the Kremlin said on Monday.

U.S. officials involved in the Berlin talks said Ukraine could receive security guarantees similar to those under Article 5, though they cautioned that such guarantees would not be open-ended. One U.S. official said President Trump believed Moscow could be persuaded to accept an Article 5-like framework designed to prevent further Russian advances westwards.

Ukraine’s senior negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said that “Over the past two days, Ukrainian-U.S. negotiations have been constructive and productive, with real progress achieved.”

Territory and the Donbas Dispute

Territorial concessions remain among the most sensitive and divisive topics in the negotiations. Before the talks began, Zelenskyy addressed the status of the eastern Donbas region, most of which is occupied by Russian forces and which Moscow claims to have annexed.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was open to freezing the conflict along the current front line but made clear he was not prepared to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the areas of Donbas still under Kyiv’s control unless Russian forces did the same in territory they occupy.

“For it to be a fair arrangement, Russia would have to withdraw the same distance,” he said, describing the issue as “extremely sensitive and heated.”

However, people familiar with the talks said U.S. negotiators told Ukraine it would need to agree to withdraw its forces from the eastern Donetsk region under any deal to end the war. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one source said Kyiv wanted further discussions, while another said major obstacles remained over territorial arrangements.

Zelenskyy confirmed on Monday that differences persisted. “Frankly speaking, we still have different positions,” he told reporters, adding that he believed U.S. mediators would help find a compromise.

“I do not think that the (U.S.) has demanded anything,” Zelenskyy said. “I see the U.S. as a strategic partner, so I would say that we have heard about the issue of territories in relation to Russia’s vision or Russia’s demands from the U.S. We see this as demands from the Russian Federation.”

Russia claims to have annexed Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas, as well as Crimea and two other regions, claims that Kyiv and its European allies reject as illegal. Russian forces do not fully control all the territory they claim, including around 20% of Donetsk.

20-Point Peace Plan and US Mediation

At the center of the Berlin discussions is a 20-point peace proposal presented by Ukraine to the U.S. last week, intended to counter an initial American plan that Ukrainian officials felt favored Russia.

Details of the proposal have not been made public, but Zelenskyy has said the points should serve as a “foundation” for rebuilding Ukraine and establishing long-term security guarantees.

Any proposal agreed by Ukrainian, American, and European officials will still need to be presented to Moscow. Zelenskyy said the U.S. delegation was effectively relaying Russia’s position during the talks.

“The U.S. delegation, so to speak, presents the Russian side’s perspective, because they relay Russia’s signals, demands, steps, and indications of readiness or lack thereof,” he said.

The Kremlin said it expected the U.S. to provide Russia with the “concept” discussed in Berlin.

U.S. officials said there had been a significant narrowing of differences between Russia and Ukraine, with one estimating that around 90% of issues had been resolved. Security guarantees, monitoring mechanisms, and oversight of any ceasefire were described as the primary focus of Monday’s talks.

Domestic Pressure on Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy is under heavy pressure from President Trump to make concessions to bring an end to what has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. At the same time, he faces deep skepticism at home about any deal perceived as favoring Russia.

A poll published on Monday showed that three-quarters of Ukrainians reject major concessions in a peace agreement. The survey found that 72% would accept a deal freezing the current front line with some compromises, but 75% said a Russia-friendly plan involving further territorial losses or limits on Ukraine’s armed forces without clear security guarantees was “completely unacceptable”.

Europe’s Role and Economic Stakes

The Berlin talks come at a critical moment for Ukraine, which is enduring its fourth winter of war amid sustained Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. Over the weekend, more than a million Ukrainian households were left without electricity following a barrage of strikes.

Later this week, European Union countries are set to vote on whether to send $105 billion worth of frozen Russian assets held in a Belgium-based financial institution to support Ukraine’s economy. EU governments agreed on Friday to immobilize the assets indefinitely, but divisions remain over whether they can legally be transferred to Kyiv.

Belgium has resisted the proposal, citing legal concerns, while other countries, including Italy, have said “alternative options” should be explored.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said discussions were becoming more difficult. “But we’re doing the work, and we still have some days,” she said.

European diplomats see this week as pivotal, with an EU summit on Thursday expected to address financial support for Ukraine, sanctions enforcement, and Europe’s broader response to pressure from Washington over migration, security, and technology regulation.

Remaining Uncertainties

Despite claims of progress, it remains unclear how close the Berlin talks are to producing a ceasefire or whether Russia will ultimately accept the emerging framework. Kremlin officials reiterated on Monday that NATO membership remains a fundamental issue, and Moscow has yet to publicly endorse any compromise discussed in Berlin.

For now, negotiations continue under intense diplomatic pressure, with Ukraine seeking guarantees strong enough to prevent renewed aggression, the U.S. pushing for concessions to end the war, and Europe weighing both security and economic consequences.

As talks resume and expand to include more European leaders, the coming days are likely to determine whether the outlines of a peace deal can be transformed into a concrete and durable agreement.