A critical weekend of diplomatic talks is underway in Berlin concerning the future of Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict. High-level government advisors from Ukraine, Germany, France, and the UK are meeting in Paris, while simultaneous discussions involving U.S. and Ukrainian foreign policy advisors take place in Berlin. On Monday, a summit including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, as well as EU and NATO representatives, is scheduled. The U.S. had initially planned only remote participation by its envoys but later confirmed the personal attendance of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, revealing increased pressure from the White House for a swift agreement. President Donald Trump reportedly exerts significant pressure on Zelenskyy to make concessions, possibly leveraging the Ukrainian leader’s domestic challenges linked to corruption allegations. Key negotiation topics include the status of the contested Donbass region, security guarantees for Ukraine, reconstruction funding, and the use of frozen Russian assets. Disagreements persist between the EU and U.S. over how to manage the over 200 billion euros of Russian funds frozen in Europe since the invasion began in 2022. Christmas is cited as a potential deadline for an agreement.

Source: https://www.bild.de/politik/ausland-und-internationales/ukraine-gipfel-in-berlin-selenskyj-kommt-nach-deutschland-693c4050840050c476911566