Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on Sunday, ready to discuss a potential withdrawal of Ukraine’s NATO bid in exchange for Western security guarantees.\n\n## Talks with U.S. Envoys\n\nHe met with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son‑in‑law Jared Kushner in the Chancellery. Before the talks, Zelenskyy answered journalists in a WhatsApp group chat, saying that the U.S. and some European nations had rejected Ukraine’s push to join NATO. He added that Kyiv now expects the West to offer a set of guarantees similar to those given to NATO members. \”These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,\” he said. \”And this is already a compromise on our part.\”\n\nHe stressed that any assurances would have to be legally binding and backed by the U.S. Congress. He also mentioned an upcoming meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. military officials in Stuttgart, Germany, and said he would later meet separately with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and possibly other European leaders.\n\n## Russia’s Demands and Ukraine’s Rejection\n\nRussia’s President Vladimir Putin has insisted that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the part of the Donetsk region still under Russian control as a key condition for peace. Zelenskyy rejected this demand. He said the U.S. had floated an idea for Ukraine to pull back from Donetsk and create a demilitarised free‑economic zone there, a proposal he called unworkable. \”I do not consider this fair, because who will manage this economic zone? If we are talking about some buffer zone along the line of contact, if we are talking about some economic zone and we believe that only a police mission should be there and troops should withdraw, then the question is very simple. If Ukrainian troops withdraw 5–10 kilometres, for example, then why do Russian troops not withdraw deeper into the occupied territories by the same distance?\” he said.\n\nZelenskyy described the issue as \”very sensitive\” and insisted on a freeze along the line of contact, saying that \”today a fair possible option is we stand where we stand.\”\n\n## Moscow’s Response\n\nYuri Ushakov, Russia’s foreign‑affairs adviser, told the business daily Kommersant that Russian police and the national guard would remain in parts of the Donetsk region even if it became a demilitarised zone under a prospective peace plan. He warned that a search for compromise could take a long time, noting that U.S. proposals that incorporated Russian demands had been \”worsened\” by alterations from Ukraine and its European allies. Speaking to Russian state TV on Sunday, Ushakov said that \”the contribution of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is unlikely to be constructive,\” warning that Moscow would have \”very strong objections.\” He added that the territorial issue was actively discussed in Moscow when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month. \”The Americans know and understand our position,\” he said.\n\n## European Leaders’ Views\n\nGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has led European efforts to support Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said on Saturday that the decades of the \”Pax Americana\” were largely over for Germany and Europe. He warned that Putin’s aim was \”a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders.\” Merz said that if Ukraine fell, he would not stop. Putin has denied plans to restore the Soviet Union or attack any European allies.\n\n## Aerial Warfare Update\n\nUkraine’s air force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones overnight. Of those, 110 were intercepted or downed, but missile and drone hits were recorded at six locations. Zelenskyy said that hundreds of thousands of families were still without power in the south, east and northeast, and work was ongoing to restore electricity, heat and water after a large‑scale attack the previous night.\n\nHe added that in the past week Russia had launched over 1,500 strike drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs and 46 missiles of various types at Ukraine. \”Ukraine needs peace on decent terms, and we are ready to work as constructively as possible. These days will be filled with diplomacy. It’s very important that it brings results,\” Zelenskyy said.\n\nRussia’s Defence Ministry said that its air defences downed 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday. In the Belgorod region, a drone injured a man and set his house ablaze in the village of Yasnye Zori, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Uryupinsk in the Volgograd region, triggering a fire, according to regional Governor Andrei Bocharov. In the Krasnodar region, Ukrainian drones attacked the town of Afipsky, where an oil refinery is located. Authorities said explosions shattered windows in residential buildings, but did not report any damage to the refinery.\n\n## U.S. Diplomatic Notes\n\nPresident Trump, in remarks that day, said the U.S. and Russia \”haven’t quite gotten there\” in the summit, but added that he and Putin \”made some headway.\”\n\nCiobanu reported the events from Warsaw, Poland.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n- Zelenskyy offered to drop Ukraine’s NATO bid for legally binding Western security guarantees.\n- Russia demands Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk; Zelenskyy rejects the proposal as unfair and unworkable.\n- Ongoing aerial attacks have left many families without power, while Ukraine reports extensive Russian strikes.\n\nThe situation remains fluid, with diplomatic talks continuing amid heavy military activity and competing demands from all sides.
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