EU, NATO leaders join Ukraine peace talks in Berlin

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are expected to join high-level talks in Berlin on the evening of December 15 focused on a possible peace agreement for Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is already in the German capital, where he has been holding discussions on a potential peace plan with envoys of US President Donald Trump and Germany’s Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Leaders from the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden are also expected to take part in the talks, as international efforts intensify to bring an end to the war.

Zelenskyy will again meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, following five hours of discussions on Sunday alongside parallel meetings involving European leaders.

Kyiv has signalled it is prepared to drop its bid for NATO membership in exchange for Western security guarantees, though major questions remain over territorial issues and Russia’s willingness to agree to a ceasefire.

The talks open a pivotal week for Europe, with EU leaders weighing fresh sanctions on Russia and a decision on using frozen Russian central bank assets to support Ukraine.

European officials struck a cautiously hopeful tone, with Finnish President Alexander Stubb saying negotiators were closer to a peace agreement than at any point in four years, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that allowing Moscow to seize Ukraine’s Donbas region would only embolden further Russian advances.

By Aghakazim Guliyev