Ukraine agrees to abandon its goal of joining NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has just made a landmark decision by proposing to abandon the goal of joining NATO. This move comes during a five-hour high-level negotiation in Berlin, Germany, with US envoys aimed at finding a solution to end the conflict with Russia.
According to Reuters, the talks took place on December 14 (local time) in Berlin, chaired by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The US delegation included key figures such as special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
After five hours of intense discussion, Steve Witkoff shared on social media that: "Representatives had in-depth discussions on the 20-point peace plan, economic agendas, and many other issues. A lot of progress was made."
Ukrainian President's advisor, Dmytro Lytvyn, confirmed that the meeting concluded at the end of the day on December 14th and both sides agreed to resume negotiations on the morning of December 15th. Currently, officials are carefully reviewing the draft documents.
The key point of these negotiations was President Zelensky's proposal to abandon Ukraine's ambition to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This was seen as a major shift in Kyiv's position, as the goal of joining this military alliance was already enshrined in Ukraine's Constitution and considered a core measure to protect against security threats.
In exchange for these concessions, Zelensky demanded legally binding "security guarantees" from the West.
"From the beginning, Ukraine's desire was to join NATO, which was a guarantee of real security. However, some partners from the US and Europe did not support this path," President Zelensky told reporters via a WhatsApp group chat.
He emphasized: "Therefore, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States – similar to Article 5 of NATO, along with guarantees from European partners and other countries such as Canada and Japan – are an opportunity to prevent another attack in the future." The Ukrainian leader asserted that this was already a compromise from Kyiv's side.
The move to send Witkoff and Kushner directly to the negotiations is seen as a signal that Washington sees a real opportunity to make progress after nearly four years of conflict.
Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly demanded that Ukraine declare neutrality, not join NATO, and withdraw its troops from the disputed territories in Donbas as a prerequisite for peace.
"The problem lies in territorial commitments and obligations from Russia and other parties. Security guarantees alone, especially without significant US involvement, will not be of much value," the German Defense Minister emphasized.
Other European leaders are also expected to arrive in Germany on December 15 to continue discussions. European allies have described this as a "critical moment" that could shape the future of Ukraine.