Breakthrough in Berlin: EU leaders hail ‘strong convergence with the US on Ukraine

Brussels -While there remains a bleak outlook for EU funding to Ukraine over the next two years, in Berlin, on the peace negotiations front, there is a clear brightening. Talks between Kyiv and US emissaries, who were also joined last night by several European leaders, have brought the two sides of the Atlantic closer together. The wave of optimism is contagious: for Donald Trump, “we are closer than ever” to the end of the conflict, for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the opportunity is “real.” In a joint statement, the 11 EU leaders in Berlin welcomed “significant progress” and “strong convergence” among Brussels, Washington, and Kyiv.

“It was not easy, but the meetings were very productive, said the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, after two days of intense negotiations. US sources indicated that 90 percent of the issues between Moscow and Kyiv would be resolved. The most obvious – and widely acknowledged – steps forward were made on security guarantees for Kyiv, while the territorial issue, and in particular the Donbas, remains the elephant in the room.

Watching Zelensky’s back, flying into the German capital on behalf of the EU – in addition to Chancellor Merz – were Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Poland’s Donald Tusk, Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, along with the prime ministers of Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway, and the president of Finland. In the statement released by Brussels, and also signed by European Council President Antonio Costa, the EU put in writing a number of commitments agreed with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

In particular, the allies state that they want to “provide sustained and significant support to Ukraine to build its armed forces,” and indicate that, in peacetime, the Kyiv army should remain at a level of 800,000. They envisage “a European-led ‘multinational force Ukraine’ made up from contributions from willing nations within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing and supported by the US.” The points include “a legally binding commitment, subject to national procedures, to take measures to restore peace and security in the case of a future armed attack,” which would not exclude “the use of armed force.” The EU also managed to put in black and white “the need for Russia to compensate Ukraine for the damage caused.” And it got the US to “strongly support” Ukraine’s EU membership. 

“We are seeing real and concrete progress. That progress is made possible thanks to the alignment between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States,” said the President of the European Commission on the sidelines of the talks. The optimism, however, fades when turning to territorial issues. “The positions are different,” Zelensky admitted bluntly. Trump insists that Kyiv give up the Donbas region, beyond the current front line. Moscow reiterated that it has no intention of making concessions on Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea. For Brussels, the final word lies with Zelensky: “Decisions on territory are for the people of Ukraine, once robust security guarantees are effectively in place,” the note reads, “international borders must not be changed by force.”

Merz, the host of the round of negotiations, immediately turned to Moscow, demanding that it accept a ceasefire before Christmas. “It is now incumbent upon Russia to show willingness to work towards a lasting peace by agreeing to President Trump’s peace plan and to demonstrate their commitment to end the fighting by agreeing to a ceasefire,” the European leaders’ note concludes.