American, Ukrainian, and European officials are preparing for a new round of talks in Berlin aimed at forging a political agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. envoys arrived in Berlin early Sunday for another round of negotiations intended to advance efforts to end the war in Ukraine, as Washington presses for momentum amid stalled diplomacy and continued fighting. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were seen in downtown Berlin after arriving in the German capital, according to a photographer for the German news agency dpa.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian, U.S., and European officials will hold a series of meetings in Berlin in the coming days focused on what he described as the foundations of a peace agreement.
“Most importantly, I will be meeting with envoys of President Trump, and there will also be meetings with our European partners, with many leaders, concerning the foundation of peace — a political agreement to end the war,” Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation late Saturday.
Washington has spent months attempting to balance the competing demands of Kyiv and Moscow as Trump pushes for a rapid resolution to the conflict and expresses frustration over delays. Negotiations have repeatedly stalled over major issues, including control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, much of which is occupied by Russian forces, and security guarantees sought by Ukraine.
“The chance is considerable at this moment, and it matters for our every city, for our every Ukrainian community,” Zelenskyy said. “We are working to ensure that peace for Ukraine is dignified, and to secure a guarantee — a guarantee, above all — that Russia will not return to Ukraine for a third invasion.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the remaining Ukrainian-controlled parts of Donetsk and abandon its bid to join NATO as conditions for peace, demands Kyiv has rejected.
Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told the business daily Kommersant that Russian police and national guard forces would remain in parts of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region even if those areas were designated a demilitarized zone under a potential peace agreement. Such a condition is expected to be unacceptable to Ukraine as U.S.-led negotiations continue.
Ushakov warned that efforts to find compromise could take significant time, saying proposals that initially reflected Russian demands had been “worsened” by changes suggested by Ukraine and its European allies.
“We don’t know what changes they are making, but clearly they aren’t for the better,” Ushakov said. “We will strongly insist on our considerations.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has led European efforts to support Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said Saturday that Europe can no longer rely on long-standing security assumptions.
“The decades of the ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well,” Merz said. He warned that Putin seeks “a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders,” adding, “If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop.” Putin has denied any intention to restore the Soviet Union or attack NATO countries.
Even as diplomacy continued, fighting between Russia and Ukraine showed no sign of abating. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones overnight, with 110 intercepted or destroyed. Missile and drone strikes were recorded at six locations, according to the air force.
Zelenskyy said Sunday that hundreds of thousands of families remained without electricity in southern, eastern, and northeastern regions, as crews worked to restore power, heat, and water following large-scale attacks the previous night. He said that over the past week Russia had launched more than 1,500 strike drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs, and 46 missiles of various types at Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs peace on decent terms, and we are ready to work as constructively as possible,” Zelenskyy said. “These days will be filled with diplomacy. It’s very important that it brings results.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday. In Russia’s Belgorod region, a drone injured a man and set his house on fire in the village of Yasnye Zori, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
In the Volgograd region, Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Uryupinsk, triggering a fire, according to regional governor Andrei Bocharov. Authorities in Russia’s Krasnodar region said drones attacked the town of Afipsky, where an oil refinery is located, shattering windows in residential buildings, though no damage to the refinery was reported.
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