President Zelenskyy was in Berlin today for negotiations with very special envoy plenipotentiary Steve Witkoff and still not a real boy Jared. There is no daily address today as a result.
Territorial issues, frozen assets, and peace talks: Zelenskyy answers journalists’ questions while in Germany.
Key points:
– President has not yet received a response from the United States regarding the latest proposals for the peace plan.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 8:11 AM
-“The plan will not be one that everyone likes; inevitably, there are many compromises in one format or another,” Zelenskyy said.
– Since not all support Ukraine’s NATO membership, the compromise option is bilateral security guarantees.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 8:11 AM
– “If the U.S. applies pressure and truly seeks to end the war, Russia will be forced to compromise.”
– Ukraine will consider the 20-point plan—ending with a ceasefire clause—at talks in Berlin.
– NATO membership for Ukraine was viewed as a genuine security guarantee.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 8:11 AM
– He confirmed the participation of Svyrydenko and Hnatov in the negotiations.
– Zelenskyy has not yet decided who will head the Presidential Office.
– Ukraine is working on mechanisms to use Russia’s frozen assets❗️👀
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 8:11 AM
– Ukraine and Belarus have communicated at the intelligence level regarding the transfer of political prisoners.
– On Donbas: “We stand where we stand”—a possible option, as it would mean a ceasefire for further diplomacy❗️
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 8:11 AM
– On Friday, Zelenskyy will meet with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
– Lawmakers must develop options for holding elections in the near future.
– Ukraine is preparing to open all negotiation clusters on EU accession.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 8:11 AM
A senior Ukrainian official said the talks in Berlin are done for the night after more than five hours. The sides will pick up tomorrow where they left off. Zelenskyy will comment on the talks tomorrow, once they finish going through the key points of the peace proposal they’re working on.
— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.ft.com) December 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
From The Financial Times: (emphasis mine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to give up on demands for Nato membership in exchange for security guarantees from the US and Europe, in a move aimed at advancing peace talks in Berlin on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have pushed Ukraine to accept painful concessions, including ceding frontline territory to Russia, ahead of talks with Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s European allies on the White House plan to end Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine has admitted that it was unlikely to join Nato in the foreseeable future due to strong opposition from Russia, which has long demanded that the transatlantic alliance pledge to halt its eastward expansion as a condition for ending the war.
But Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday that Ukraine still requires security guarantees from the US and Europe, similar to Nato’s Article 5 clause of mutual protection for any member under attack.
“We are talking about bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States — namely, Article 5–like guarantees . . . as well as security guarantees for us from our European partners and from other countries such as Canada, Japan and others,” Zelenskyy told journalists in a WhatsApp chat. “And this is already a compromise on our part.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has yet to receive a response from Washington to revised proposals sent earlier this week from Kyiv after consultations with European leaders.
“The plan will certainly not be one that everyone likes. There are many compromises in one or another version of the plan,” he said.
Russia has said it would probably reject all the proposals from Ukraine and Europe, throwing doubt on whether Trump’s push to end the nearly four-year war could succeed.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, said any Ukrainian and European suggestions for the plan were “unlikely to be constructive” and Russia would have “sharp objections” if the US adopted them. “It’s not like there’s going to be anything good there,” Ushakov said in comments broadcast on state television on Sunday.
More at the link.
The Russian position is that Ukraine will have to accept whatever it is told to accept. Putin is not interested in a negotiated settlement, his interested in dictating terms. And he thinks he can successfully do so because he’s been successfully manipulating Trump for well over a decade.
Here’s The Kyiv Independent‘s reporting: (emphasis mine)
Editor’s note: This story is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky concluded his meeting U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Berlin on Dec. 14, as talks continue to finalize a peace plan to end Russia’s full-scale war.
The visit is part of renewed diplomatic efforts, after the U.S. backed a 28-point plan that many viewed as effectively pushing Ukraine toward capitulation in Russia’s all-out war. The proposal was subsequently reduced to 20 points following consultations with Ukrainian and European representatives.
The talks, which lasted for more than five hours on Dec. 14, will continue on the morning of Dec. 15, Ukraine’s Presidential Office told public broadcaster Suspilne.
In a readout provided by Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy said that a “lot of progress was made” during the meeting, without providing details.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Zelensky signaled that Ukraine seeks NATO-like security guarantees as part of a peace deal to prevent future Russian aggression, as full membership is opposed by the U.S. and other partners.
Ahead of the meeting, Axios reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that the Trump administration may be willing to provide Congress-approved NATO-like security guarantees.
“We want to give the Ukrainians a security guarantee that will not be a blank check on the one hand but will be strong enough on the other hand. We are willing to send it to Congress to vote on it,” the U.S. official told Axios.
“When people see what they are going to get and not only what they are going to give they are more willing to move forward,” the official added.
Washington continues to pressure Kyiv to advance negotiations, amid fresh accusations from U.S. President Donald Trump that Zelensky is refusing to accept the American plan.
Washington continues to pressure Kyiv to advance negotiations, amid fresh accusations from U.S. President Donald Trump that Zelensky is refusing to accept the American plan.
Ukraine’s president previously said that he will hold talks with European leaders and Trump’s envoys to discuss “the foundation of peace — a political agreement to end the war.”
This trip will focus on “how to reliably guarantee security for Ukraine so that the experience of the Budapest Memorandum and Russia’s invasion never happens again,” he announced upon arrival.
Earlier this week, Ukraine and its European partners submitted their revision to the U.S.-backed peace framework to Washington, seeking to alter provisions that would require sweeping concessions from Kyiv.
Speaking to journalists en route to Berlin, Zelensky said that Kyiv has not yet received a response from the U.S. to its revised peace proposals, but added that he is ready for dialogue. The president noted that he will talk to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and possibly other European leaders later on Dec. 14.
As Kyiv continues to rally support from European capitals, ahead of the Ukrainian president’s meeting with Trump’s envoys, French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Zelensky.
“France is, and will remain, at Ukraine’s side to build a robust and lasting peace—one that can guarantee Ukraine’s security and sovereignty, and that of Europe, over the long term,” the French president wrote following the call.
Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Merz will also attend the meetings with Witkoff scheduled for Dec. 14 and 15, the Wall Street Journal wrote.
“There won’t be a plan that everybody will like,” Zelensky said, stressing that the peace proposal must be just, effective, and prevent Moscow from launching renewed aggression against Ukraine.
As the U.S. and some European partners do not back Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, Kyiv instead seeks “Article 5-like” bilateral guarantees from the U.S., European countries, and other partners, he noted.
“And that’s already a compromise from our side,” Zelensky said, adding that such guarantees on the American part must be confirmed by the U.S. Congress.
According to the president, Ukraine is not leading a “direct dialogue with the Russian side,” as Moscow’s positions are relayed by the U.S.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that Moscow had not yet reviewed the Ukrainian and European revisions to the peace plan, but added that they “will likely not be constructive” and Russia will “strongly object” if any changes are implemented. Ushakov stressed that Moscow is determined to stand its ground on territorial issues.
The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine cede the entire Donetsk Oblast, including territory that Russian forces have been unable to capture, as a key condition for any peace deal.
Speaking about Donbas, Zelensky said the only fair option would be a ceasefire based on the “we stand where we stand” principle, and the matter would be resolved later through diplomatic means.
Any proposal for a “free economic zone” or a “demilitarized zone” — an idea backed by the U.S. — would only be just if both sides withdraw their forces symmetrically, Zelensky added, calling it a “question that currently has no answer.”
I want to focus on this bit:
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Zelensky signaled that Ukraine seeks NATO-like security guarantees as part of a peace deal to prevent future Russian aggression, as full membership is opposed by the U.S. and other partners.
Ahead of the meeting, Axios reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that the Trump administration may be willing to provide Congress-approved NATO-like security guarantees.
“We want to give the Ukrainians a security guarantee that will not be a blank check on the one hand but will be strong enough on the other hand. We are willing to send it to Congress to vote on it,” the U.S. official told Axios.
“When people see what they are going to get and not only what they are going to give they are more willing to move forward,” the official added.
There is no way that any US negotiator can guarantee that this will even come up for a vote in the Senate, let alone that it will pass. What is being suggested here is that this agreement will include a treaty between the US and Ukraine that will guarantee Ukrainian security equivalent to NATO’s Article V. The problem here is that the only treaty or treaty renegotiation to make it through the Senate in recent memory is the barely modified NAFTA that Trump demanded during term 1 to fix the non-existent trade imbalances between the US and Canada and the US and Mexico. And which he has now arrogated with his tariffs. The Law of the Sea Treaty still hasn’t been ratified by the Senate despite every Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and every Commandant of the Coast Guard testifying that they need it ratified. That’s despite over 90% of it being negotiated by a Republican administration. Even if it could get the sixty votes to get past the closure threshold, provided Tubberville or Johnson don’t just put a permanent hold on it, there is no way it is going to get sixty-seven votes to be ratified.
Unfortunately, President Zelenskyy has to jump through these hoops knowing that the US has not been a reliable partner since the beginning of Russia’s genocidal re-invasion, nor a good faith negotiator since Trump returned to office last January. At this point Ukraine is defending itself against Russia with the US putting a thumb on the scale Putin to help him achieve his strategic objectives. Any agreement with the US, specifically the Trump administration, will not be worth the paper it is printed on.
9 months ago today we killed 34 civilians attending an Easter church service because we are fighting to defend Christian values from the godless west who attack them.
— Darth Putin (@darthputinkgb.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 8:32 AM
When we kill civilians attending a christmas service in a few weeks, it will because you permitted it.
— Darth Putin (@darthputinkgb.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 8:32 AM
This is the correct understanding of the regional and geo-strategic reality:
There won’t be peace in this world unless Russia is defeated unconditionally and reeducated into changing its collective psychology.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 14, 2025 at 5:21 PM
