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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Zelenskyy connected Sunday (December 14, 2025) voiced readiness to driblet his country's bid to articulation NATO successful speech for Western information guarantees, but rejected the U.S. propulsion for ceding territory to Russia arsenic helium arrived successful Berlin for talks with U.S. envoys connected ending the war.
Mr. Zelenskyy arrived astatine the Chancellery up of the expected talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, portion of a bid of meetings successful Berlin betwixt Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials.
Responding to journalists' questions successful audio clips connected a WhatsApp radical chat earlier the talks, Mr. Zelenskyy said that since the U.S. and immoderate European nations had rejected Ukraine's propulsion to articulation NATO, Kyiv expects the West to connection a acceptable of guarantees akin to those offered to the confederation members.
“These information guarantees are an accidental to forestall different question of Russian aggression,” helium said. “And this is already a compromise connected our part.” Mr. Zelenskyy emphasised that immoderate information assurances would request to beryllium legally binding and supported by the U.S. Congress, adding that helium expected an update from his squad pursuing a gathering betwixt Ukrainian and US subject officials successful Stuttgart, Germany.
He said that helium volition conscionable separately with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and, possibly, different European leaders aboriginal successful the evening.
Washington has tried for months to navigate the demands of each broadside arsenic Mr. Trump presses for a swift extremity to Russia's warfare and grows progressively exasperated by delays.
The hunt for imaginable compromises has tally into large obstacles, including power of Ukraine's eastbound Donetsk region, which is mostly occupied by Russian forces.
Tough obstacles stay
Russia's President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to retreat its forces from the portion of the Donetsk portion inactive nether its power among the cardinal conditions for peace, a request rejected by Kyiv.
Mr. Zelenskyy said that the U.S. had floated an thought for Ukraine to retreat from the Donetsk and make a demilitarised escaped economical portion there, a connection helium rejected arsenic unworkable.
“I bash not see this fair, due to the fact that who volition negociate this economical zone?” helium said. “If we are talking astir immoderate buffer portion on the enactment of contact, if we are talking astir immoderate economical portion and we judge that lone a constabulary ngo should beryllium determination and troops should withdraw, past the question is precise simple. If Ukrainian troops retreat 5–10 kilometres, for example, past wherefore bash Russian troops not retreat deeper into the occupied territories by the aforesaid distance?” Mr. Zelenskyy described the contented arsenic “very sensitive” and insisted connected a frost on the enactment of contact, saying that “today a just imaginable enactment is we basal wherever we stand.” Mr. Putin's overseas affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov told the concern regular Kommersant that Russian constabulary and nationalist defender would enactment successful parts of the Donetsk portion adjacent if they go a demilitarised portion nether a prospective bid plan.
Ushakov warned that a hunt for compromise could instrumentality a agelong time, noting that the U.S. proposals that took into relationship Russian demands had been “worsened” by alterations projected by Ukraine and its European allies.
Speaking to Russian authorities TV successful remarks broadcast Sunday, Ushakov said that “the publication of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is improbable to beryllium constructive," informing that Moscow volition “have precise beardown objections.” Ushakov added that the territorial contented was actively discussed successful Moscow erstwhile Witkoff and Kushner met with Mr. Putin earlier this month. “The Americans cognize and recognize our position," helium said.
Mr. Merz, who has spearheaded European efforts to enactment Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said Saturday that “the decades of the Pax Americana' are mostly implicit for america successful Europe and for america successful Germany arsenic well.” He warned that Putin's purpose is “a cardinal alteration to the borders successful Europe, the restoration of the aged Soviet Union wrong its borders.” “If Ukraine falls, helium won't stop,” Merz warned connected Saturday during a enactment league successful Munich.
Putin has denied plans to reconstruct the Soviet Union oregon onslaught immoderate European allies.
Russia and Ukraine speech aerial attacks
Ukraine's aerial unit said that Russia overnight launched ballistic missiles and 138 onslaught drones astatine Ukraine. The aerial unit said 110 had been intercepted oregon downed, but rocket and drone hits were recorded astatine six locations.
Zelenskyy said Sunday that hundreds of thousands of families were inactive without powerfulness successful the south, eastbound and northeast regions and enactment was continuing to reconstruct electricity, vigor and h2o to aggregate regions pursuing a large-scale onslaught the erstwhile night.
The Ukrainian President said that successful the past week, Russia had launched implicit 1,500 onslaught drones, astir 900 guided aerial bombs and 46 missiles of assorted types astatine Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs bid connected decent terms, and we are acceptable to enactment arsenic constructively arsenic possible. These days volition beryllium filled with diplomacy. It's precise important that it brings results,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said that aerial defences downed 235 Ukrainian drones precocious Saturday and aboriginal Sunday.
In the Belgorod region, a drone injured a antheral and acceptable his location ablaze successful the colony of Yasnye Zori, determination Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Ukrainian drones struck an lipid depot successful Uryupinsk successful the Volgograd region, triggering a fire, according to determination Gov. Andrei Bocharov.
In the Krasnodar region, the Ukrainian drones attacked the municipality of Afipsky, wherever an lipid refinery is located. Authorities said that explosions shattered windows successful residential buildings, but didn't study immoderate harm to the refinery.
