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US President Donald Trump’s overseas envoys will travel to Germany this weekend to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders for the latest round of high-level talks on ending the war.
Steve Witkoff, who has been leading White House mediation between Ukraine and Russia, will be in Berlin to discuss the latest version of the proposed peace deal.
The Trump administration is pushing for a deal before Christmas and has held several rounds of talks with Ukrainian and Russian representatives in recent weeks, although there is no sign a breakthrough is imminent.
It has not yet been determined which European leaders will attend the Berlin talks.
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported details of the meeting, said British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz would all attend.
Confirmation of the Vitkov-Zelensky meeting comes days after Ukraine submitted a revised version of its 20-point peace plan to the United States, the latest version of a proposal first presented in late November that triggered a flurry of diplomatic activity.
The fate of Ukraine’s eastern territories remains one of the thorniest topics in negotiations, with Kyiv refusing to give up illegally occupied land and Moscow reaffirming its intention to fully occupy the Donbas region by force unless Ukraine withdraws its troops.
Zelensky has Skeptical of latest White House proposal The solution to the territorial issue is to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the area and turn the area into a “special economic zone.”
Ukraine’s president told reporters that under the terms proposed by the United States, the Kremlin would promise not to enter the area where Ukrainian troops had withdrawn, with the land between the Russian-controlled Donbas region and Ukrainian defense lines effectively becoming a demilitarized zone.
The proposal appeared to attempt to resolve legal ownership issues by creating a new status for the land, but was openly questioned by Zelensky, who said: “What would stop (Russia) from moving forward? Or infiltration disguised as civilians?”
Ukraine and European allies have publicly said U.S.-led negotiations have been fruitful and welcomed progress on amendments to a plan that was widely seen as favorable to Russia when it first emerged.
But there have been signs in recent weeks that Trump is losing patience with Zelensky and his supporters on the continent.
in a A scathing interview with Politico earlier this weekThe US president called European leaders “weak” and renewed his call for elections in Ukraine.
Zelensky said the election could be held within 90 days if the United States and Europe provide the necessary security guarantees. Elections have been suspended since Russia launched a full-scale invasion and declared martial law in February 2022.
As the White House’s diplomatic push continues, Europe’s focus is on how to support Ukraine in a peace deal and negotiate security guarantees and funding.
The Ukrainian government faces a dire financial situation: it needs to raise an additional €135.7 billion (£119 billion; $159 billion) over the next two years.
On Friday, EU governments Agree to freeze Russian assets worth around €210bn (£185bn; $247bn) indefinitely Held in Europe.
If a deal is reached at an EU summit next week, it is hoped the deal will pave the way for funds to be loaned back to Ukraine to financially help Kyiv’s military and work to rebuild parts of the country devastated after nearly four years of all-out war.
In a move denounced by the Kremlin as theft, Russia’s central bank said it would sue Euroclear Bank, the Belgian bank where the vast majority of Russian assets frozen after the invasion were held.
Officials are still negotiating the exact structure of a deal to repurpose Russian assets on behalf of Ukraine, with the Belgian government being particularly skeptical due to the particular legal risks it poses as the main holder.
The latest version of the peace plan being circulated reportedly envisions Ukraine joining the European Union quickly.
The British “Financial Times” said that Brussels supports Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU, an idea proposed by Ukraine in the latest draft submitted to Washington.
Ukraine formally applied to join the EU days after the 2022 invasion, but despite promises to speed up the process, membership is still years away.
Under the plan, Ukraine would become a member as early as January 2027, AFP reported, citing an unnamed senior official. It is unclear whether Washington has approved this element of the draft.
