BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US envoys arrived in Berlin on Sunday for another round of talks intended to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, as Moscow and Kyiv stuck to their sharply opposite views of a prospective peace deal.
Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian, US and European officials will hold a series of meetings. He said he will meet personally with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Berlin.
Responding to journalists’ questions in audio clips on a WhatsApp group chat, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for Ukraine to receive firm guarantees from the United States and European allies that would be similar to those offered to NATO members, after the US and some European countries stonewalled Ukraine’s bid to join the military alliance.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” he said. “And this is already a compromise on our part.”
Zelenskyy emphasized that any security assurances would need to be legally binding and supported by the US Congress, adding that he expected an update from his team following a meeting between Ukrainian and US military officials in Stuttgart.
