The Trump Administration's Position
Imminent Defeat Warning: The Trump administration has warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the Ukrainian military will "collapse in a short period of time" if it does not agree to a peace plan and that Ukraine does not "have the cards" to win the conflict.
A Proposed Peace Plan: A 28-point draft proposal, developed in conjunction with Russian officials, has been presented to Ukraine. Reports indicate the administration pressured Ukraine to accept the deal by Thanksgiving 2025 or risk losing future U.S. intelligence and weapons access.
“BERLIN -- President Trump's top envoys held five hours of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Sunday, with Washington hailing progress as the administration steps up pressure on Kyiv to seal a deal with Russia to end the conflict by the end of the year.
The talks between Ukraine and its Western partners have become a tug of war, even without Russia at the table. Washington is pushing for quick decisions, while Zelensky and his European backers contend that significant differences remain.
Talks will continue on Monday and several European leaders plan to join.
Among the key points of contention, Ukraine has balked at Washington's call to withdraw its forces from a portion of the eastern Donbas region that Kyiv's forces still hold. European and Ukrainian officials have pushed for clarity on what the U.S. would do if Russia were to break a peace deal and attack Ukraine.
Both issues will be at the heart of the talks in Berlin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed the meetings during a talk European leaders held with Trump on Wednesday.
After Sunday's discussions ended, the Trump administration's Russia envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on X that the two sides held in-depth discussions on the peace plan.
"A lot of progress was made, and they will meet again tomorrow morning," he said.
One person briefed on Sunday's talks described them as difficult, saying the U.S. side appeared unwilling to compromise on its proposal.
Trump late last week said he was invited to join the Berlin talks but publicly doubted the trip would be worthwhile.
He sent Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, after Zelensky indicated flexibility on his negotiating stance, a White House official said. Over the past few weeks, Witkoff has shuttled between meetings with the Kremlin in Moscow and separate discussions with Kyiv in the U.S. or Europe.
Russian officials have said the U.S. plan is a good basis for discussion but haven't said whether they would accept it. Many European officials doubt the Kremlin is looking to wind down the conflict. They have said Europe and all North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries face the risk that if Russia prevails in Ukraine, the Kremlin will set its sights on conflict with European neighbors.
Throughout the recent weeks of talks, Russia has bombarded military sites in Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure supplying military industrial complex.
Ukraine on Wednesday sent Washington its response to an earlier U.S. proposal for ending the conflict. While there is agreement on some points, including a cap of 800,000 troops on Ukraine's peacetime armed forces, Kyiv has continued to reject the U.S. push for it to surrender territory in the Donetsk province that Ukrainian troops still hold.
The U.S. plan would stipulate that Kyiv agree not to fight to win back swaths of territory it has lost to Russia elsewhere and may entail Washington formally recognizing Moscow's reunification with Russian parts of Ukraine. It would also further complicate Kyiv's hopes of eventually joining NATO, while potentially bringing Russia back into the global economy, including through joint U.S.-Russian projects.
Speaking to reporters via WhatsApp ahead of talks on Sunday morning, Zelensky said Kyiv hasn't received a response yet from Washington on its proposal. He said Ukraine has "done a lot to ensure that all parties can meet together" and lamented that power politics were driving the negotiations.
Zelensky also indicated on Sunday that he was open to discussing the future of the heavily fortified part of Donetsk that Ukraine still holds. He said the fairest option would be to start talks with Russia based on the current front line and said if Ukrainian troops withdraw from the area, Russia should also agree to pull its troops back.
Moscow said it would strongly object if proposals developed by Kyiv and Brussels are included in the plan, Kremlin foreign-policy adviser Yury Ushakov said on Sunday.” [1]
1. World News: U.S., Ukraine Try to Break Impasse Over Peace Deal --- Trump wants Kyiv to strike quick pact, but Zelensky wants security guarantees. Norman, Laurence; Malenko, Anastasiia; Kantchev, Georgi. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 15 Dec 2025: A6.
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