Zelenskyy meets with Kupiansk frontline troops ahead of Berlin security talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the frontline city of Kupiansk on Friday, just weeks after Russia claimed its forces had taken control.

In a video sent to X, Zelenskyy is seen wearing a bulletproof jacket and speaking in front of a sign reading “Kupiansk” in badly damaged Cyrillic.

“Today I am here in the Kupiansk region with our fighters doing business for Ukraine,” he said. “The Russians continued to talk about Kupiansk; the facts are clear. I visited our troops and congratulated them.”

Russian state media outlet TASS reported in November that Russian forces had “liberated” the city of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, quoting a briefing by Russian armed forces chief of staff Valery Gerasimov to President Vladimir Putin.

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Zelenskyy’s visit comes as he and his negotiating team prepare for a new round of talks in Berlin on Sunday with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.

He is also expected to hold talks with European leaders on a broader political agreement to end the war and secure Ukraine’s long-term security, as well as plans to support the country’s post-war recovery and development.

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TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY HAVEN’T READ THE PEACE PLAN YET

Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffin of fallen comrades Roman Kolodiy, Taras Sovhan or Roman Kashuba during the funeral ceremony in Lviv, Ukraine, on January 4, 2025. (Michael Sorrow/Anadolu via Getty Images)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that a sustainable ceasefire in Ukraine should include absolute guarantees and protect Europe’s security interests, and warned that peace cannot be achieved at the expense of the EU or NATO or without their participation.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte echoed those concerns last week, warning members of the transatlantic alliance that they could be Russia’s next target.

Speaking at the Bavarian State Representation during the Munich Security Conference event in Germany, Rutte told attendees that increasing defense spending while Russia continues its large-scale attacks on Ukraine is not a moment for self-congratulation.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held a press conference at the Berlin Chancellery on December 11, 2025. (Liesa Johannssen/Reuters)

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“I’m afraid too many people remain silently complacent. Too many don’t feel the urgency. Too many believe that time is on our side. It’s not. Now is the time to act,” he said.

The NATO chief called on allies to increase defense spending and production, saying their armed forces must have the resources to protect their own territory and warning that Moscow could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.