Ukraine has dropped its goal of joining the NATO military alliance in return for Western security guarantees as part of a compromise aimed at ending the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of talks with US envoys in Berlin, reports RTE.
The move represents a significant shift for Ukraine, which has long sought NATO membership as protection against Russian aggression and even enshrined the ambition in its constitution, reports RTE.
While it fulfils one of Moscow’s stated war objectives, Kyiv has so far refused to concede territory to Russia.
Mr Zelensky said replacing NATO membership with security guarantees from the US, Europe and other partners amounted to a compromise by Ukraine.
“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees.”
“Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” he said in response to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat, reports RTE.
“Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries – Canada, Japan – are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” Mr Zelensky said, reports RTE.
“And it is already a compromise from our part,” he said, adding that the security guarantees must be legally binding, reports RTE.
Earlier, Mr Zelensky called for a “dignified” peace and assurances that Russia would not attack Ukraine again, as he prepared to meet US envoys and European allies in Berlin to discuss ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
Under pressure from US President Donald Trump to accept a peace deal that initially reflected Moscow’s demands, Mr Zelensky accused Russia of prolonging the war through deadly strikes on cities and attacks on Ukraine’s power and water infrastructure, reports RTE.
While details of today’s and tomorrow’s meetings have not been fully disclosed, a US official said Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were travelling to Germany for talks involving Ukrainian and European representatives.
The decision to send Mr Witkoff, who has been central to negotiations with both Ukraine and Russia on a US peace proposal, suggested Washington believes progress may be possible almost four years after Russia’s 2022 invasion, reports RTE.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine, Europe and the US are considering a 20-point plan that would culminate in a ceasefire, adding that Kyiv is not holding direct talks with Russia.
He said a ceasefire along the current front lines would be a fair outcome, despite Russia demanding Ukraine withdraw from parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions still under Kyiv’s control, reports RTE.
“Ukraine needs peace on dignified terms, and we are ready to work as constructively as possible. The coming days will be filled with diplomacy. It is critically important that it delivers results,” Mr Zelensky said earlier on X,” reports RTE.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to host Mr Zelensky and European leaders at a summit in Berlin tomorrow, continuing a series of public demonstrations of support for Ukraine from across Europe, reports RTE.
Britain, France and Germany have been working to adjust US proposals which, according to a draft revealed last month, would require Ukraine to give up more territory, abandon NATO ambitions and accept limits on its armed forces.
European allies have described the situation as a “critical moment” for Ukraine’s future and have moved to strengthen Kyiv’s finances by exploring the use of frozen Russian central bank assets to support Ukraine’s military and civilian needs, reports RTE.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner at talks earlier in December, which the Kremlin described as “constructive”, though no significant breakthroughs were announced.
Mr Zelensky said hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity following Russian strikes on energy, heating and water systems across large parts of Ukraine, sharing images of burning and destroyed buildings, reports RTE.
“Russia is dragging out the war and seeks to inflict as much harm as possible on our people,” he said, reports RTE.
“In total, the Russians launched more than 1,500 attack drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs, and 46 missiles of various types against Ukraine this week,” he added, reports RTE.
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