ISLAMABAD : Monitoring Desk – During five hours of talks in Berlin with US representatives, President Zelenskyy suggested that Ukraine could drop its ambition to join NATO if Western countries provide security assurances should Russia attack again. Among those present were US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Witkoff described the negotiations as achieving “significant progress”. Abandoning the goal of NATO membership represents a major change in Kyiv’s position and meets one of Moscow’s demands, although Ukraine is not considering giving up any territory.
Zelenskyy explained that Ukraine supports the principle “standing where we stand”, regarding it as just. While Ukraine originally saw joining NATO as the best way to secure its future, some of the country’s allies in the US and Europe are not supportive, so alternatives like bilateral or multilateral security guarantees are under discussion.
These guarantees would include commitments from the US similar to NATO’s Article 5, as well as guarantees from European nations, Canada, and Japan. Zelenskyy stressed that this solution is a compromise for Ukraine and insists that these guarantees must be legally binding.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the issue of Ukraine joining NATO “is subject to special discussion” and emphasized that legally ensuring Ukraine does not join the Alliance is a central point in negotiations.
The Trump administration has agreed to these guarantees, which would need congressional approval to become legally binding. Trump has expressed his readiness to help guarantee Ukraine’s security as part of a potential peace deal.
Negotiators are working on three separate agreements: one concerning peace, another with security guarantees, and a third focused on rebuilding Ukraine.
A senior US official noted: “Under the current proposal, the war would conclude with Ukraine keeping sovereignty over 80% of its territory, receiving the strongest security guarantee it’s ever had, and gaining a substantial prosperity package”.
However, President Zelenskyy emphasized that any compromises requested of Kyiv will be decided by the Ukrainian people through a referendum or election.
What about Donbas, Other Russian Held Territories
The updated draft of Kyiv’s peace plan that was sent to the US suggests both Russian and Ukrainian troops would leave the Donbas, which would then become a “free economic zone”.
The plan also calls for Russian forces to withdraw from the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, while the existing front line remains along the demilitarized zone.
In contrast, the Kremlin announced that Russian Guard units will be stationed in Donbas’ “demilitarized” zone. So far, the US has not issued an official response to Russia’s new peace proposal.
A principal proposal from the Trump administration involved the establishment of a demilitarized zone in the Donbas following troop withdrawals by both parties.
Ukraine showed readiness to temporarily freeze the current front line and relinquish control over territories already occupied by Russia but remained resolutely opposed to withdrawing troops from areas of the Donetsk region that are under Ukrainian control.
No Agreement Reached in Berlin Negotiations
Negotiations involving the Ukrainian and US delegations in Berlin did not yield any agreement regarding critical issues, including territorial matters. The Ukrainian delegation introduced its own plan for ending the conflict and indicated a willingness to make political concessions;
Kyiv expressed openness to abandon NATO membership and the potential of scheduling presidential and parliamentary elections once the security situation has stabilized.
The negotiations in Berlin did not result in a compromise, yet they delineated the boundaries of issues that are unacceptable to Kyiv.
Notably, according to Ukraine Business News UBN news web portal, more than 70% of Ukrainians support a peace initiative that incorporates freezing the existing front line, providing security guarantees, and withholding official recognition of occupied territories as part of Russia.
Conversely, approximately 75% of respondents do not support measures requiring troop withdrawals from the Donbas, downsizing the Ukrainian military, or excluding explicit security assurances.
