Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Dec 16: US President Donald Trump on Monday said a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine was closer than ever, following extensive discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders.
“I think we’re closer now than we have been ever,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office, adding that he had “very long and very good talks” with Zelensky and leaders of Britain, France, Germany and NATO.
Trump’s remarks came as European powers met in Berlin with Zelensky and proposed a “multinational force” to help enforce a potential peace agreement, backed by what they described as robust US security guarantees. Russia has yet to respond to the latest proposals.
In a joint statement issued after the Berlin talks, European leaders said the proposed force would ensure that Moscow does not violate any agreement to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Zelensky said discussions with Trump’s envoys were “not easy” but had shown progress, particularly on security guarantees. He held a second day of talks with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, building on a peace proposal initially put forward by Trump.
While welcoming new security guarantees from Washington, Zelensky acknowledged differences remained over territory. “There has been sufficient dialogue on the territory, and frankly speaking, we still have different positions,” he said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the talks as creating a “chance for a real peace process” and praised the United States for offering “substantial” security guarantees. The European statement also said Ukraine’s military should continue to receive extensive support and maintain a peacetime strength of around 800,000 troops.
It further proposed a US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism to identify violations and provide early warning of any future attacks.
US officials warned that the guarantees, described as similar to NATO’s Article Five, would not remain on the table indefinitely. Trump has earlier ruled out Ukraine’s formal entry into NATO and has echoed Moscow’s view that Kyiv’s NATO ambitions contributed to the conflict.
Differences over territory remain a major hurdle. US officials have indicated that Ukraine would need to cede control of parts of the eastern Donbas region, a move Zelensky has firmly rejected. Russia currently controls most of the Lugansk region and about 80 per cent of Donetsk.
Moscow has also reiterated its opposition to any European-led force in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was awaiting details of the proposals discussed in Berlin.