Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials will hold a series of meetings in Berlin, Zelenskyy said. But the exact timing and scope of the talks haven’t been disclosed. Delegations will be meeting on Sunday, followed by a summit on Monday that will include U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“The summit in Berlin is important: we are meeting with both the Americans and the Europeans,” Zelenskyy told journalists in a WhatsApp group chat earlier Sunday, according to a transcript of his remarks. “It is important for us. And believe me, we have done a lot to ensure that these parties all meet together.”
Zelenskyy and the U.S. delegation led by Witkoff and Kushner met at the Federal Chancellery Sunday afternoon, a German official said.
Zelenskyy emphasized the need for Ukraine to receive firm guarantees from the United States and European allies that would be similar to those offered to NATO members, according to the transcript of the group chat.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” the Ukrainian leader said. “And this is already a compromise on our part.”
Zelenskyy suggested that Kyiv could accept the strong security guarantees as a potential substitute for its long-term goal of joining NATO. Bilateral security pacts between Ukraine and the U.S. that function similarly to NATO’s Article 5, as well as guarantees from Europe and other countries, could prevent “another coming of Russian aggression,” he said.