U.S. officials say they are ready to offer Ukraine a NATO‑style security guarantee at a Berlin meeting on Dec 15, a move that could persuade President Trump to involve his advisers.
Berlin Meeting Set for Dec 15
According to Axios, a meeting on Ukraine is slated for Monday, December 15 in Berlin. Participants will include Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Volodymyr Zelenski, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Keir Starmer.
U.S. officials claimed the last round of talks between Washington and Kyiv yielded enough progress to persuade Donald Trump to send his advisers to Europe.
US Ready to Deliver NATO‑Style Guarantee
A senior U.S. official told Axios that the Trump administration is prepared to provide Ukraine with a security guarantee based on Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
He said the guarantee would be neither a blank cheque nor weak, and would be submitted to Congress for a vote. Three separate agreements would be signed on peace, security guarantees and reconstruction.
Paris Meeting Postponed, French Palace Responds
The Palace of Versailles announced that the planned Paris meeting on Saturday, December 13 involving Ukraine, Europe and the U.S. was cancelled.
British, German and French national security advisers instead had a “very productive” telephone conversation with American and Ukrainian negotiators. The cancellation was cited as an organizational issue rather than rising tensions.
French Advisors Deny Ukraine’s Consent for Donbas Demilitarised Zone
A French presidential adviser stated that the reports of Ukrainian agreement to create a demilitarised zone in Donbas were unfounded and warned against rushing the matter.
