Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to drop NATO membership to help another push for peace. In return, Ukraine will expect security guarantees from the West, according to a report out of Reuters.
U.S. President Donald Trump had sent his special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, to Berlin to continue negotiations. He officially posted on X that “a lot of progress was made,” with more news expected today, after another round of talks.
READOUT FROM U.S.-UKRAINE TALKS IN BERLIN, GERMANY:
The meeting in Berlin between President Zelenskyy, Special Envoy Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and delegations from the United States and Ukraine lasted over five hours. Representatives held in-depth discussions regarding the… pic.twitter.com/G7breh5Gab
— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) December 14, 2025Becoming a member of NATO has been a must for Zelensky, as he feels this will best protect his country from any further attack. For Putin, this is a red line. However, reports indicate Zelensky now may be willing to accept bilateral guarantees from the United States, including security from other allies such as Canada and Japan.
“Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the U.S., Article 5-like guarantees for us from the U.S., and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries — Canada, Japan — are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” Zelenskiy told reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
German Chancellor Merz was also present at the negotiations, posting on X clips of him greeting Zelensky and Witkoff:
“We want a lasting peace in Ukraine. Difficult questions lie ahead of us, but we are determined to move forward,’ he said.
