Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to abandon Ukraine’s bid to join NATO in exchange for binding Western security guarantees during more than five hours of talks Sunday in Berlin with U.S. envoys, as negotiations aimed at ending the war with Russia are set to continue Monday.
President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said “a lot of progress was made” after meeting with Zelenskyy alongside Jared Kushner, confirming discussions focused on a 20-point peace framework, security arrangements, and economic issues. Zelenskyy’s adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said draft documents are under review and that the talks will resume Monday morning.
The proposal marks a major shift for Kyiv, which has long pursued NATO membership. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is now seeking legally binding, Article 5–like guarantees from the United States, alongside security commitments from European allies and partners including Canada and Japan, calling the offer a “compromise.”
The talks were hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who briefly addressed the delegations before leaving negotiations to proceed. Additional European leaders are expected in Germany for further discussions.
