President Donald Trump’s overseas envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Germany this weekend for high-level talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, aiming to advance a White House push to broker an end to the war.
Witkoff, who has been leading U.S. mediation efforts between Kyiv and Moscow, will meet Zelensky in Berlin to discuss the latest version of a proposed peace agreement. The Trump administration hopes to finalize a deal by Christmas, but despite several recent negotiating rounds, a breakthrough appears distant.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the meeting, noting that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are also expected to attend, though European participation has not been officially confirmed.
The diplomatic push follows Ukraine’s recent submission of a revised 20-point peace plan, an updated version of a framework that surfaced in late November. The most contentious issue remains the status of eastern Ukraine.
Kyiv refuses to cede occupied territory, while Moscow insists it will seize the Donbas region by force unless Ukraine withdraws.
Zelensky has expressed deep skepticism about the latest U.S. proposal, which suggests that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donbas and the area become a “special economic zone” and de facto demilitarized buffer.
In response, the Ukrainian president questioned how such an arrangement would prevent Russia from advancing or infiltrating the zone in disguise. “What will restrain [Russia] from advancing? Or from infiltrating disguised as civilians?” he asked reporters, underscoring the fragility and high stakes of the ongoing negotiations.
By James Kisoo
