Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Dec. 15, 2025.<\/p>\n
John Macdougall | Afp | Getty Images<\/p>\n
American officials said Monday that a deal with Ukrainian<\/a> leaders to end its war with Russia was nearly complete, even as territorial disputes remain unresolved and a strong security guarantee from the United States<\/a> and European<\/a> countries remains a sticking point.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a>‘s special envoy Steve Witkoff<\/a> and his son-in-law Jared Kushner<\/a> on Monday joined negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> in Berlin, which began Sunday.<\/p>\n U.S. officials in a call with reporters said that Zelenskyy, who on Sunday agreed to drop his goal of joining NATO,<\/a> insists on so-called Article Five-like security protections as part of a peace deal.<\/p>\n Article Five of the NATO treaty states that an attack on one member nation is interpreted as an attack against all. <\/p>\n American officials said any such assurance from the U.S. would require congressional approval.<\/p>\n “We believe the Russians, in a final deal, will accept all these things, which will allow for a \u2026 strong and free Ukraine,” one official said. <\/p>\n The official added that the Russians were open to Ukraine joining the European Union.<\/p>\n Officials said that about 90% of the issues between Ukraine and Russia have been resolved.<\/p>\n “But there’s some more things that have to be worked out,” an official said.<\/p>\n Read more CNBC politics coverage<\/p>\n Trump, in recent weeks, has renewed pressure to end the conflict that began when Russia invaded Ukraine<\/a> in February 2022. <\/p>\n In a recent interview with Politico, Trump said that Zelenskyy should accept the U.S.-backed agreement “because he’s losing.”<\/p>\n\n