The Japan Times - Ukraine hails 'real progress' in Zelensky's talks with US envoys

Kyiv's negotiator Rustem Umerov wrote on social media that the marathon diplomacy in the German capital had been "constructive and productive", and "real progress" had been achieved.

"We hope we will reach an agreement that will bring us closer to peace by the end of the day," he added, without spelling out details on the talks over difficult issues, from territorial concessions to security guarantees.

Zelensky met for a second day with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, for talks hosted under tight security in the chancellery of Germany's Friedrich Merz.

Witkoff had on Sunday also hailed "progress", but an official briefed on the talks told AFP on Monday that the US side still wants Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donbas region as a condition of peace talks with Russia -- a red line for Kyiv.

Later on Monday, Merz and a group of European leaders -- including from Britain, France, Italy, Poland and Finland, along with the NATO and EU chiefs -- were due to join Zelensky for an evening summit seen as a show of support for the embattled country.

Ukraine, fighting a gruelling war since Russia's full-scale invasion of February 2022, hopes to convince Washington that a ceasefire must be agreed without prior territorial concessions to Russia.

European leaders have been adamant any eventual deal must create a "just peace" and not pave the way for future Russian aggression.

Trump has pushed strongly for an end to the war but an initial 28-point plan last month was seen as heavily favouring Moscow's position by Kyiv and its European allies.

Ukraine has since presented counter-proposals and Zelensky said on Sunday his country was ready in principle to compromise on its desired NATO membership, provided it received solid security guarantees in return.

Russia, meanwhile, has signalled it will insist on its core demands, including on territory and on Ukraine never joining NATO.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia was expecting the United States to "provide us with the concept that is being discussed in Berlin today".

A day earlier, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov had said: "I think the contribution of both Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is unlikely to be constructive, that's the problem."

- 'Dignified peace' -

The official briefed on the US-Ukrainian talks told AFP that American negotiators still want Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donbas -- made up of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Moscow controls almost all of Lugansk and about 80 percent of the Donetsk region, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants territory," said the official, adding that the United States was demanding that Ukraine "withdraw" from the regions and that Kyiv was refusing.

"It's a bit striking that the Americans are taking the Russians' position on this issue," the official added.

Zelensky later Monday met his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier and then visited the German parliament.

The Ukrainian president said he had briefed Steinmeier "on our work with the United States aimed at achieving a dignified peace, reliable security guarantees and economic recovery".

Merz, hosting the busy day of crisis diplomacy, was then due to join Zelensky at a German-Ukrainian business conference.

After a press conference, both were to be joined for dinner by a host of European leaders, among them Britain's Keir Starmer, France's Emmanuel Macron, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, Poland's Donald Tusk and Finland's Alexander Stubb, as well as NATO chief Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Central Berlin has been turned into a high-security zone with road closures for motorcades and police snipers on rooftops, dog patrols on the streets and anti-drone units surveying the skies.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul voiced cautious optimism about the days of diplomacy, tempered with worries about whether Putin would back away from his demands.

"I believe the negotiations have never been as serious as they are now. They are being conducted very intensively," Wadephul said in the morning.

"But whether it will be successful, we won't know until the end of the week. Of course, every effort is worthwhile in this historic situation to finally end this terrible dying and bring this war to a close.

"What we still don't know is whether Vladimir Putin truly has a genuine will to end this war."

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T.Ueda--JT