UKRAINE is willing to drop its Nato ambitions as Zelensky makes another huge concession for peace amid mounting pressure from the White House to end the war.
In return for Kyiv giving up its Nato bid, President Zelensky said he was looking to Washington to provide “security guarantees” to protect his country from further military attacks from Putin.
Volodymyr Zelensky has offered a huge concession in an effort to advance peace talksCredit: Splash
Trump is hoping to seal the deal before ChristmasCredit: Splash
Servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine during shooting practice between combat missions, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv regionCredit: Reuters
But the Ukrainian leader remains steadfast in his refusal to hand over any territory to Russia, which some fear may hold up negotiations.
Washington has been pushing for a peace deal to be signed by Moscow and Kyiv before Christmas.
Peace talks stretched into day two in Berlin today between Zelensky and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law .
After Monday’s meeting, Zelensky said in a post on X “there is a great deal of work under way on the diplomatic track right now” but did not divulge details.
Kyiv’s negotiator Rustem Umerov said real progress was achieved across both days.
“We hope we will reach an agreement that will bring us closer to peace by the end of the day,” he said on social media.
It followed after which Zelenksy told reporters the sticking point had been about the security of his nation.
He said he was seeking “legally binding” security assurances from allies should Ukraine not be able to rely on being part of Nato.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression, and this is already a compromise on our part,” he said.
He named Ukraine’s European partners, and other countries like Canada and Japan, to offer security guarantees against a future Russian invasion.
But with Trump calling for an election to be held, letting go of the ambition to join Nato might spell disaster for Zelensky.
A poll published on Monday showed three-quarters of Ukrainians reject major concessions in any peace deal.
Zelenksy and Trump’s diplomats are expected to attend a peace summit in Berlin on Thursday where German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will host Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, among other global leaders.
Donald Trump has pushed Ukraine to quickly secure peace in the nearly four-year-old war, as Russia’s bigger and better-armed military grinds forward on the battlefield.
, as acknowledge by Trump last week.
In a furious tirade, Trump has demanded Zelensky “get his act together” to finally put an end to the bloody war between Moscow and Kyiv which has wreaked havoc for four years.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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