Donald Trump claims a Russia-Ukraine peace deal is closer than ever following fresh negotiations in Germany aimed at ending the prolonged conflict.
According to reports, the proposed deal would provide Ukraine with security assurances akin to those of NATO in order to deter future Russian strikes.
Russia stated it would not be against Ukraine entering the European Union, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared his nation would give up on ambitions to join NATO.
Following a second day of U.S.-Ukraine negotiations in Berlin, there were renewed expectations on Tuesday morning for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.
"I think we're closer now than we have been ever and we'll see what we can do,"
President Trump expressed.
In a significant compromise, Ukraine now states that it is prepared to abandon its long-standing pursuit of NATO membership, but President Zelenskyy insists that this will only happen if the United States and its European allies provide his nation with "NATO-like" security guarantees to stave off future Russian assaults.
Zelenskyy is currently opposing another significant Russian demand, which is to cede territory.
As a crucial prerequisite for peace, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukrainian soldiers to leave areas of eastern Ukraine that they still control.
In an effort to reach a solution, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is collaborating with Ukrainian and European authorities.
"We're making progress. It's more difficult than anybody could have thought,"
the president shared.
Under pressure to agree to a peace agreement mediated by the United States, which at first supported Moscow's demands, Ukrainian negotiators now claim to be making "real progress" toward a settlement that would eventually bring about peace.
In a communiqué following the Berlin meetings, European leaders pledged to work with the United States to provide Ukraine strong security assurances, including a multinational force led by Europe and supported by the United States that would operate inside Ukraine.
Russia has already declared that it will not permit any NATO troops to be stationed in Ukraine.
How have Russian officials responded to the new talks in Germany?
Russian officers have dismissed the Berlin addresses as inapplicable to Moscow's core demands, reiterating that no peace is possible without Ukraine feting adjoined homes like Crimea and Donbas, alongside endless impartiality barring NATO class. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on December 16, 2025, that conversations banning Russia hold" zero value," criminalizing the West dragging the conflict.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov labeled the U.S.- led action a" propaganda trick," advising that any ceasefire without disarmament concessions equates to cession for Kyiv. Putin echoed this, declaring Zelenskyy" one million percent" unable to reclaim lost lands or NATO accession, signaling unyielding red lines amid stalled Istanbul follow- ups.
Moscow views the addresses distrustfully, prioritizing battleground earnings over accommodations, with no envoy dispatched to Berlin. Judges note Russia's rejection pitfalls Trump's desirousness, but Putin leverages European divisions to demand full territorial recognition before engaging.