The negotiations for peace in the Ukraine
After almost four years of the Russian war of aggression, we are entering the next round. After the talks between EU states, the USA and Ukraine in Berlin and further meetings with Ukrainian representatives in the US state of Florida, the US negotiators want to discuss the results with Russian representatives in Miami.
According to a high-ranking US official, they want to meet in working groups, with US military representatives also expected to be there. In the evening, Ukrainian and European government representatives in Florida initially ended their talks. The Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umerow, US special envoy Steven Witkoff, US presidential adviser Jared Kushner and representatives of Germany, France and Great Britain took part in the talks.
US President Donald Trump had previously urged Ukraine to make rapid progress. According to Umerov, Chief of General Staff Andriy Hnatov also took part on the Ukrainian side; the European representatives took part at their own invitation. The foreign policy advisor in the Chancellery, Günter Sautter, was present for Germany.
Putin’s advisor should speak to Witkoff
According to media reports, Putin’s advisor Kirill Dmitriyev is now planning a meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, which will also include representatives from Great Britain and France. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio left his participation open. There are no plans for talks between the German and Russian sides.
Dmitriyev is expected to discuss the results of the two-day talks with Witkoff Berlin speak. This has not been reported in detail yet. But it was about two central points: security guarantees and territorial issues.
Rubio had previously rejected the accusation that his country wanted to pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace agreement with Russia. “This whole narrative that we want to force something on Ukraine is silly,” Rubio said. “We can’t force Ukraine into an agreement. We can’t force Russia into an agreement. They have to want an agreement themselves.”
Zelenskyj wants to stick to NATO membership
According to all sides, there was progress in the planned security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire. “The legal and material guarantees that the USA have put on the table here in Berlin are truly remarkable,” said Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He was referring to the willingness of the USAto give Ukraine guarantees close to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, according to which an attack on one state is considered an attack on all. However, it is still unclear what specific consequences this would have for Ukraine.
However, the USA continues to reject Ukraine joining NATO. president Volodymyr Zelensky According to him, the USA is consistent on this issue. Zelenskyj himself is not yet ready to give up this goal, as he made clear during a visit to Brussels. As a preliminary alternative, he brought up Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU.
Russia has not yet commented specifically
However, there has been little progress on territorial issues. To Russia The core demands for a ceasefire include that Ukraine also give up those strategically important cities in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk that Russia has not yet been able to conquer. Zelensky rejects such concessions to the “aggressor state” and points to the Ukrainian constitution, which fundamentally does not allow the cession of territory. However, Merz announced that Zelensky was ready to recognize the area beyond the existing front line as “Russian-occupied territory.”
He also spoke of a “demilitarized zone” between the two warring parties, i.e. a kind of buffer zone. Russia has not yet commented specifically on the new proposals. They are waiting to be informed by the USA and will not engage in “megaphone diplomacy” in advance, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. After the renegotiations in Berlin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the Europeans of playing a destructive role in the peace talks. President Vladimir Putin also made sharp comments at a meeting with high-ranking military officials, complaining about “European piglets.”
