Steve Witkoff to meet Volodymyr Zelensky for latest Ukraine war talks
US President Donald Trump’s overseas envoy will travel to Germany this weekend to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders for the latest round of high-level talks aimed at ending the war.
Steve Witkoff, who is leading the White House’s efforts to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, will discuss the latest version of the proposed peace deal in Berlin.
The Trump administration is pushing for a deal to be in place by Christmas and has held several rounds of talks with Ukrainian and Russian representatives in recent weeks, but there is little sign that a breakthrough is imminent.
It has not yet been confirmed which European leaders will attend the Berlin talks.
The Wall Street Journal, which first published the details of the meeting, said that British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz would attend the meeting.
The Witkoff-Zelensky meeting took place just days after Ukraine gave the United States a revised version of its 20-point peace plan; It was the latest iteration of the proposal, which first surfaced in late November and triggered a stir in diplomatic activity.
The fate of the territories in eastern Ukraine remains one of the most difficult issues in the negotiations; Kiev refuses to give up illegally occupied territory, and Moscow reiterates its intention to take the Donbas region entirely by force unless Ukraine withdraws.
Zelensky has Reacted skeptically to the White House’s latest offer Solving the land issue, which envisages the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from the region and the turning of the region into a “special economic zone”.
The Ukrainian president told reporters that under the conditions proposed by the United States, the Kremlin would undertake not to advance into areas evacuated by Ukrainian forces, and the land between Russian-controlled parts of Donbas and Ukraine’s defense lines would be turned into a de facto demilitarized zone.
The proposal, which appears to be an attempt to resolve the legal ownership issue by creating a new status for land, has been publicly questioned by Zelensky. [Russia] from moving forward? Or infiltration while disguised as a civilian?”
Ukraine and its European allies have publicly stated that the US-led talks have been productive and welcomed progress on changes to the plan, which was thought to be favorable to Russia when it was first revealed.
But there have been signs in recent weeks that Trump is running out of patience with Zelensky and his continental supporters.
One Harsh interview with Politico earlier this weekThe US president called European leaders “weak” and repeated his call for elections in Ukraine.
Zelensky said that elections can be held within 90 days if the USA and Europe provide the necessary security. Elections have been suspended since martial law was declared when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
As the White House’s diplomatic push continues, attention in Europe is focused on how to support Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, with ongoing talks on security guarantees and financing.
The Ukrainian government faces a dire financial situation: it needs to find an extra €135.7bn (£119bn; $159bn) over the next two years.
European Union governments on Friday Agreement reached to freeze Russian assets worth around €210bn (£185bn; $247) indefinitely It was held in Europe.
It is hoped the deal would pave the way for funds to be returned to Ukraine if a deal is reached at next week’s EU summit, providing Kiev with financial aid for its military and efforts to rebuild devastated parts of the country after nearly four years of all-out war.
The move was condemned as theft by the Kremlin, and Russia’s central bank said it would sue Euroclear, the Belgian bank where the vast majority of Russian assets were frozen after the invasion.
While officials were still negotiating the precise structure of a deal to reuse Russian assets on behalf of Ukraine, the Belgian government was particularly legally dubious as the main entity.
Elsewhere, it was reported that the final version of the circulated peace plan envisaged Ukraine’s rapid entry into the European Union.
The Financial Times said Brussels supports Ukraine’s rapid accession to the bloc; This is an idea that Ukraine proposed in its latest draft submitted to Washington.
Ukraine officially applied to join the EU just days after the 2022 invasion, but despite promises to speed up the process, membership is still several years away.
According to AFP news, citing an unnamed senior official, Ukraine will become a member in January 2027 under the plan. It was unclear whether Washington had approved this element of the draft.
