The eyes of the world are once again on Berlin, where first an American-Ukrainian, and then in the evening a trilateral, European-American-Ukrainian, negotiation will be held on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.

As the first item on the agenda of the day, Volodymyr Zelensky met again with US Ambassador Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner after five hours of talks on Sunday. Witkoff said after Sunday's meeting that"a lot of progress" had been made.

The Ukrainian delegation was the first to speak about Monday's Ukrainian-American talks. According to the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, they had"constructive and productive" talks with their Washington counterparts.

The American team led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner is working very constructively to help Ukraine find a path to a lasting peace agreement […] the Ukrainian delegation is extremely grateful to President Trump and his team for their efforts

– wrote the head of the Ukrainian delegation in a post published on X. However, the French news agency AFP previously learned that the second round of Ukrainian-American negotiations did not end with a breakthrough either.

• The US side continues to want Ukraine to relinquish control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (collectively known as Donbass).
• However, Ukraine remains unwilling to agree to withdraw its troops from Donbass in exchange for peace talks.

According to an AFP source, the meeting effectively looked like the United States demanding a troop withdrawal, arguing that “Putin wants territory,” which Ukraine rejected. A person familiar with the talks, who spoke to the news agency, added that “it is a bit surprising that the Americans are taking the Russian position on this issue.”

About 80 percent of the territory in question, Donbass, is controlled by Russian Federation troops. However, Moscow has still not managed to capture the most important fortress cities.

The West may present a concrete peace plan by the evening

According to a CNN report, Germany, whose officials have been mediating the US-Ukrainian talks, is constructively evaluating Monday's talks. Berlin sees it as an important achievement that the European, American and Ukrainian sides have been brought together again for a joint peace agreement.

The British newspaper The Guardian understands that the following officials will participate in Monday's trilateral talks, which will begin after 6 p.m. Hungarian time. The list is not complete.

• The United States delegation, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner;
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his advisers;
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen;
• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte;
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz;
• French President Emmanuel Macron;
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Donald Trump's peace plan on the table

The talks on Sunday and Monday were based on the 28-point peace plan of the United States, which was leaked to the press by an unknown informant in mid-November. The document, referred to as the Trump peace plan, contained conditions unacceptable to Ukraine and its European supporters. The European countries sent amendments, which Russia did not accept.

The goal of the talks would be to bring the Russian and Ukrainian positions closer together, and for Washington and Kiev to create a compromise peace plan that the United States could then offer to Russia.

• Ahead of Monday's hearing, Zelensky had already signaled that Ukraine was willing to give up its NATO membership if it received similar security guarantees from the United States as NATO member states receive from Article 5.  
• However, the United States has faced serious accusations that it is favoring the interests of Russia, the aggressor that attacked Ukraine in 2022 in violation of international law, in the negotiations, in the hope of a quick peace. 

(Cover photo: The start of a one-on-one meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, December 15, 2025. Photo: Kay Nietfeld / Pool / Reuters)