Zelensky Meets U.S. Envoys in Berlin in New Round of Ukraine Peace Talks

Zelensky Meets U.S. Envoys and European Leaders in New Push to End WarFor the second day running, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met in Berlin with American diplomats, seeking to bridge divides over how to end the war.President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, left, and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in Berlin on Monday.Credit...Odd Andersen/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesDec. 15, 2025Updated 9:39 a.m. ETPresident Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met in Berlin on Monday with senior American and European leaders, his office said in a brief statement, in the second day of high-level talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.The meeting followed a five-hour discussion on Sunday between Mr. Zelensky; Steve Witkoff, an envoy for President Trump; and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, in which, Mr. Witkoff’s office said, “a lot of progress was made.”Mr. Zelensky also met on Monday with Alexander Stubb, the Finnish president, who had also talked with Mr. Kushner on Sunday, according to Mr. Stubb’s office. Other European leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Secretary General Mark Rutte of NATO, were scheduled to join Mr. Zelensky on Monday evening. Russia was not expected to send representatives.The Americans and Europeans are scrambling to overcome wide divides over what concessions Ukraine should make to persuade Russia to agree to a cease-fire. The United States has proposed that Ukraine cede some territory that Russia has yet to occupy. Ukraine has said it will not give up more land, a position largely backed by European leaders, who are wary of rewarding Russia for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Ukraine raised hopes of a compromise on Sunday when Mr. Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv would suspend its goal of joining NATO, at least for now. In return, Mr. Zelensky said, Ukraine would need strong guarantees that the United States would step in if Russia attacked again.ImageSteve Witkoff, left, and Jared Kushner, second from right, leaving the U.S. Embassy in Berlin on Monday.Credit...Christian Mang/Getty ImagesMr. Zelensky also met on Monday with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, and Julia Klöckner, speaker of the German Parliament, and was expected to also attend a gathering about Ukrainian-German economic ties.Leaders from Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden, as well as Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive branch, were all scheduled to arrive in Berlin by Monday evening for a dinner at the chancellery with Mr. Merz, Mr. Starmer, Mr. Macron and Mr. Rutte.The diplomatic gathering was put together hastily by German, Ukrainian and U.S. officials as pressure mounts to find a compromise to end the war. Mr. Trump said during his presidential campaign that he could stop the fighting in 24 hours, but the reality has proved different.On Sunday, after receiving both the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations, Mr. Merz posted on social media: “We want lasting peace in Ukraine. Difficult questions lie ahead, but we are determined to move forward.”The flurry of diplomatic activity comes after American negotiators presented a 28-point peace plan last month that Ukrainians dismissed as being too aligned with Russian interests. European leaders did not dismiss that plan outright, but they have supported Ukraine’s coming up with a counterproposal in which Kyiv would hold onto the territory it currently controls and receive security guarantees from Washington.European leaders, especially Mr. Merz, Mr. Macron and Mr. Starmer, have been trying to bolster Kyiv’s position and involve themselves in the negotiations because the outcome affects Europe’s broader security as well as Ukraine’s.Highlighting broader European efforts to restrict Russia and its allies, the European Union announced on Monday that it had sanctioned several people and companies involved in Russian oil sales. The bloc also said that it had made it easier to place sanctions on Belarus, a key ally of Russia.Reporting was contributed by Jeanna Smialek from Brussels and Maria Varenikova from Kyiv, Ukraine.Christopher F. Schuetze is a reporter for The Times based in Berlin, covering politics, society and culture in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.SKIP