US President Donald Trump has said that an agreement to end Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine is \u201ccloser than ever\u201d after key leaders held talks in Berlin, but several officials said that significant differences remain over territorial issues.<\/p>\n
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that he had \u201cvery long and very good talks\u201d with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and NATO.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re having tremendous support from European leaders. They want to get it [the war] ended also,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had numerous conversations with President [Vladimir] Putin of Russia, and I think we\u2019re closer now than we have been, ever, and we\u2019ll see what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy had earlier said that negotiations with US and European leaders were difficult but productive.<\/p>\n
The high-level discussions, involving Zelenskyy, a US delegation led by envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump\u2019s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and European leaders, took place in Berlin over two days amid mounting pressure from Washington for Kyiv to make concessions to Moscow to end one of Europe\u2019s deadliest conflicts since World War II.<\/p>\n
In a statement following the talks, European leaders said they and the US were committed to working together to provide \u201crobust security guarantees\u201d to Ukraine, including a European-led \u201cmultinational force Ukraine\u201d supported by the US.<\/p>\n
They said the force\u2019s work would include \u201coperating inside Ukraine\u201d as well as assisting in rebuilding Ukraine\u2019s forces, securing its skies and supporting safer seas. They said that Ukrainian forces should remain at a peacetime level of 800,000.<\/p>\n
Two US officials, speaking to the Reuters news agency, described the proposed protections as \u201cArticle 5-like\u201d, a reference to NATO\u2019s Article 5 mutual defence pledge.<\/p>\n
Ukraine had earlier signalled it may be willing to abandon its ambition to join the NATO military alliance in exchange for firm Western security guarantees.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv needed a clear understanding of the security guarantees on offer before making any decisions on territorial control under a potential peace settlement. He added that any guarantees must include effective ceasefire monitoring.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian officials have been cautious about what form such guarantees could take. Ukraine received security assurances backed by the US and Europe after gaining independence in 1991, but those did not prevent Russia\u2019s invasions in 2014 and 2022.<\/p>\n
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Washington had offered \u201cconsiderable\u201d security guarantees during the Berlin talks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the US has placed on the table here in Berlin, in terms of legal and material guarantees, is really considerable,\u201d Merz said at a joint news conference with Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now have the chance for a real peace process,\u201d he said, adding that territorial arrangements remain a central issue. \u201cOnly Ukraine can decide about territorial concessions. No ifs or buts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Merz also said it was essential for the European Union to reach an agreement on using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine to demonstrate to Moscow that continuing the war is futile. He warned that EU members must share the risks involved in appropriating those assets, or risk damaging the bloc\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the EU has adopted new sanctions targeting companies and individuals accused of helping Russia circumvent Western restrictions on oil exports that help finance the war.<\/p>\n
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Putin was \u201copen to peace and serious decisions\u201d but opposed to what he described as \u201ctemporary respites and subterfuges\u201d.<\/p>\n
Reporting from Berlin, Al Jazeera\u2019s Dominic Kane said the outcome of the talks remains unclear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know American emissaries were speaking to Ukrainians here in Berlin yesterday and today. Talks between those two groups have finished, according to a statement by Zelenskyy\u2019s office,\u201d Kane said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we don\u2019t yet know is how much of the US-led 28-point plan \u2013 parts of which were acceptable to Moscow but strongly opposed by Kyiv and EU officials \u2013 remains intact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kane added that the German government has presented a separate 10-point proposal focused on military and intelligence cooperation rather than a peace settlement. European leaders are expected to continue discussions on the remaining areas of disagreement.<\/p>\n
Fighting continues<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ukraine said on Monday that Russia launched 153 drones overnight, with 17 striking their targets.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed 130 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.<\/p>\n