Ukraine: Talks with US completed – Almost 90% of issues resolved

The international community is awaiting announcements and developments on the talks on the peace plan for , as diplomatic moves continue after the conclusion of five hours of negotiations between US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and the Ukrainian delegation.

After the meeting with the American negotiators, he continued his contacts with German officials, in anticipation of the dinner with his European partners in the German capital, at which, as announced by the Elysée, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, will also be present.

In his statements, the president of Ukraine said that the discussions with the American side were not easy (information indicated that the Americans insisted on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk), but they were productive. According to the BBC, which cites information from the US government, 90% of the open issues between Russia and Ukraine have now been agreed.

What an American official said

A US official told Reuters that the talks in Berlin were very positive, that “agreement was reached on a lot of issues, but there are still some open issues which are being taken up by working groups”. According to him, “the European representatives have been amazing and President Trump is very pleased with where we have come. We hope that we are on the path that leads to peace.” The official, who Reuters did not name, added that there had been more “deeper discussions on the territories” and there had been significant progress on the issue of security guarantees, and that they were about “NATO Article 5-type” guarantees, which he said would not be on the table forever. As he pointed out, the American side is ready to go to Russia at any time based on the discussions that took place and “President Trump believes that he can convince the Russians to accept the “NATO Article 5″ guarantees, and also the Senate to vote for them.”

According to the American official, “President Trump is focused on not allowing the Russians to advance to the west”, while the Russian side “we estimate that they will accept the security guarantees in the final agreement and will be open to the admission of Ukraine to the EU”. As he mentioned, among the issues discussed was directing frozen Russian funds to the reconstruction of Ukraine, but also a “free economic zone” despite the dispute between Ukraine and Russia over the power plant (he means the Zaporizhia nuclear plant). There was also a discussion with BlackRock on the subject. The official emphasized that the final issues of sovereignty should be discussed between the two sides (including Ukraine and Russia), while the final decision on the territories should be Ukraine’s. According to him, Zelensky should discuss the territorial issue first with his team, and then he has an obligation to discuss it with the Europeans, as well as with the Russians. Among the issues discussed and reported publicly for perhaps the first time are “issues of oversight of the process, but also of de-escalation, which means that any violations of the agreement will be dealt with immediately.”

It is unknown if there will be American participation at tonight’s dinner with the European partners, but as it is known there will be a phone call – intervention by Donald Trump. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as well as the leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden are also expected in Berlin.

What does the German government say?

According to German government spokesman Stefan Cornelius, it is not yet certain whether the two American negotiators, President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, will attend tonight’s meeting with European leaders. However, he clarified that they have been invited.

The discussion, Mr. Cornelius said, would focus “on the issue of territory and security.” The issue of security in particular, he added, “will ultimately determine whether this war will actually stop and whether it will flare up or whether a flare-up can be prevented and prevented.”

What comes out of the negotiations

At the heart of the negotiations, according to the n-tv news network, a high-ranking official said that, contrary to media reports, Ukraine has not indicated that it is renouncing its intention to join NATO, while the US has not yet presented details of the security guarantees that Kiev is asking for.

Zelensky continues his contacts

Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, met earlier with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who greeted him with a hug and “Hello, my friend!”. He is currently in the federal parliament, where he was received by President Julia Kleckner and will later go to the chancellery for a meeting with Friedrich Merz.

The tightest possible security protocol has been in place in Berlin since the weekend, with more than 3,600 police officers guarding the movement of leaders participating in the Ukraine talks. The problems on the roads are extensive, as the center is blocked, while delays and changes are also noted in the itineraries of the fixed track vehicles.

Attacks on rocket fuel and natural gas processing facilities

The Ukrainian military also announced that it had hit a natural gas processing plant in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan and a rocket fuel production plant in the Rostov region.

In a statement, the general staff of the army says that explosions occurred at the Astrakhan unit. The head of Ukraine’s drone forces said its pilots hit the Kamensky plant, which produces fuel for the Iskander and Kindzhal missiles, among other things.