By Gloria Ogbonna
BERLIN (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Ukraine is prepared to abandon its long-standing bid to join NATO in exchange for firm Western security guarantees, but firmly rejected U.S.-backed proposals that would require Kyiv to cede territory to Russia.
His remarks came as he arrived in Berlin for a new round of high-level talks aimed at finding a pathway to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy arrived at the German Chancellery ahead of expected meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The Berlin discussions are part of a broader diplomatic push involving Ukrainian, American, and European officials seeking to break months of stalemate and move closer to a negotiated settlement.
Speaking to journalists via audio messages shared in a WhatsApp group before the talks, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO have been repeatedly rebuffed by the United States and several European countries.
In light of that reality, he said Kyiv is now seeking alternative security arrangements that would offer protection comparable to NATO’s collective defense commitments.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” Zelenskyy said. “And this is already a compromise on our part.” He stressed that any guarantees must be legally binding, backed by clear commitments, and approved by the U.S. Congress to ensure they are durable and credible over time.
Zelenskyy added that he expected further updates after meetings between Ukrainian and U.S. military officials in Stuttgart, Germany. Later in the evening, he was also scheduled to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and possibly other European leaders to coordinate positions ahead of further negotiations.
Washington has been working for months to balance competing demands from Kyiv and Moscow, as President Trump pushes for a swift end to the conflict and expresses growing frustration over delays.
Efforts to identify acceptable compromises have faced significant obstacles, particularly over control of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, much of which remains under Russian occupation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the remaining parts of Donetsk still under Kyiv’s control as a key condition for peace. Ukraine has categorically rejected that demand, viewing it as an unacceptable surrender of sovereign territory.
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Zelenskyy revealed that U.S. officials had floated an alternative proposal that would involve Ukraine withdrawing from Donetsk and establishing a demilitarized free economic zone in the region. He dismissed the idea as impractical and unfair.
“I do not consider this fair, because who will manage this economic zone?” Zelenskyy asked. “If Ukrainian troops withdraw five to ten kilometers, for example, why should Russian troops not withdraw the same distance deeper into the occupied territories?”
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He described the territorial issue as “very sensitive” and reiterated Ukraine’s position that the most realistic option would be a freeze along the current line of contact. “Today, a fair possible option is we stand where we stand,” he said.
Meanwhile, Russian officials signaled little flexibility. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told the Russian business daily Kommersant that Russian police and national guard units would remain in parts of Donetsk even if those areas were designated as a demilitarized zone under a future peace plan.
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Ushakov warned that reaching a compromise could take a long time and complained that U.S. proposals accommodating Russian demands had been “worsened” by changes suggested by Ukraine and its European allies.
Speaking later on Russian state television, Ushakov said Moscow expects to have “very strong objections” to proposals shaped by Kyiv and European governments. He added that territorial issues were discussed extensively when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month, noting, “The Americans know and understand our position.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has emerged as a leading European voice on Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, warned Saturday that Europe can no longer rely on the long-standing security framework dominated by the United States. “The decades of the ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well,” Merz said.
Merz cautioned that Putin’s ultimate goal is a fundamental redrawing of Europe’s borders and the restoration of something resembling the former Soviet Union. “If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop,” Merz warned during a party conference in Munich. Putin has repeatedly denied any intention to restore the Soviet Union or attack NATO countries.
As diplomatic efforts continue, fighting on the ground shows no sign of slowing. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones overnight. Of those, 110 were intercepted or shot down, but strikes were recorded at six locations across the country.
Zelenskyy said hundreds of thousands of families in southern, eastern, and northeastern regions were still without electricity, with crews working to restore power, heat, and water following a large-scale overnight assault.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia launched more than 1,500 strike drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs, and 46 missiles of various types over the past week alone. “Ukraine needs peace on decent terms, and we are ready to work as constructively as possible,” he said. “These days will be filled with diplomacy, and it is very important that it brings results.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed its air defenses downed 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, a drone reportedly injured a man and set a house on fire, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Ukrainian drones also struck an oil depot in the Volgograd region, triggering a fire, and attacked the town of Afipsky in Russia’s Krasnodar region, where an oil refinery is located.
Authorities there said explosions shattered windows in residential buildings but reported no damage to the refinery itself.
As both sides exchange strikes and diplomats search for common ground, the Berlin talks are being closely watched as a potential turning point in efforts to bring the prolonged and devastating conflict closer to an end.
Source Breitbart
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