Zelenskyy, US, EU reps report “real progress” in Berlin talks on ending war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and European leaders have reported “real progress” in talks on ending the war in Ukraine following two days of negotiations in Berlin.

After lengthy consultations on December 14–15, the sides reported a convergence of positions on several elements of a proposed peace plan, including security guarantees, Caliber.Az reports per American media.

U.S. officials said that the peace talks were "really, really positive" following nearly eight hours of negotiations behind closed doors. 

"We've got consensus on a number of issues that we view as critical to getting to a peace deal. We have some things to discuss as well, but we've touched everything in the 20-point plan and had some very, very positive discussion around it," a U.S. official said.

But despite the U.S. officials providing a more merrier readout of the progress, in his readout, Zelenskyy said that discussions with the U.S. "were not simple but productive."

European leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, opposed any repetition of the “Minsk” agreements, and suggested considering a temporary Christmas ceasefire. The discussions also addressed the possible deployment of multinational forces, mechanisms to monitor a ceasefire, and Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction while maintaining frozen Russian assets.

On the security guarantees, the U.S. officials said details were still forthcoming but said U.S. boots on the ground in Ukraine were not a part of the discussions. 

U.S. officials said peace is “closer than ever,” though the territorial issue remains the most challenging. Ukraine continues to insist that any territorial concessions are unacceptable. Further negotiations are expected in the coming days, likely to take place in the United States.

Without going into further details, the officials said that Zelenskyy will be discussing the issue of territories with members of his team. 

On December 14–15, 2025, high-level negotiations were held in Berlin involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff (Trump's special envoy) and Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law), and key European leaders—including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The two-day talks, hosted at the German Chancellery, focused on refining a U.S.-backed peace framework, with participants describing outcomes as the most promising since the conflict's escalation.

By Khagan Isayev