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Zelensky Offers to Pause NATO Bid for Binding Security Guarantees as Berlin Talks Open

Kyiv is pressing for enforceable U.S.-backed protections as the price for a ceasefire on current lines.

Overview

  • Volodymyr Zelensky met U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Berlin to launch multi-day negotiations hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with European leaders due to join on Monday.
  • Ukraine is seeking legally binding, Article 5‑like guarantees from the United States alongside commitments from European partners and others such as Canada and Japan, with a demand for congressional backing.
  • Zelensky ruled out ceding areas under Kyiv’s control and rejected proposals for Ukrainian withdrawals or a demilitarized economic zone in Donetsk, calling instead for a truce that freezes forces where they stand.
  • Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow has not seen the latest documents and warned it would strongly object to amendments proposed by Ukraine or European governments.
  • Ukrainian officials reported 138 Russian drones and a ballistic missile launched overnight, with strikes wounding civilians and hitting a hospital in Kherson as power outages persisted in several regions.