Zelensky in Berlin proposes freezing the front and renouncing NATO in exchange for US security guarantees

With respect to the node of territories, Zelensky believes that a fair and realistic ceasefire option could be the principle of 'let's stay where we are', i.e. the parties maintain their current positions and all issues will be resolved by diplomatic means.

"If the Ukrainian troops withdraw 5-10 kilometres, why shouldn't the Russian troops withdraw the same distance to the occupied territories?", is the objection put to the Americans with regard to their idea of creating a kind of demilitarised buffer zone.

Freezing the front line would allow Kiev to focus on the other central chapter of the negotiations.

The goal is to obtain 'bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States, i.e. guarantees along the lines of Article 5, as well as security guarantees for us from our European partners and other countries such as Canada, Japan, and others,' said Zelensky, who in return would renounce his membership in the Atlantic Alliance, thus neutralising the Russian veto.

From what has emerged in the media so far, the White House would be willing to endorse the Article 5 option by having it approved by Congress to make it legally binding.

After the face-to-face meeting with the Ukrainians, the Americans were scheduled to have a second meeting with the national security advisors of Germany, France and the UK. "Americans, Europeans and Ukrainians only ask for peace, while Russia continues its war of aggression," Emmanuel Macron denounced after a phone call with Zelensky.

"Difficult questions lie ahead, but we are determined to move forward" because "Ukrainian interests are also European interests", echoed Merz, who on Monday 15 December will bring together a group of European heads of state and government (France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Poland and Finland) and the NATO and EU leadership.

According to plans filtering out of Berlin, the date will be over dinner, but it is unclear whether Trump's envoys will also attend.

In the German capital, according to Bild, the Russians are 'indirectly present' because Yuri Ushakov is in contact with Witkoff. But Vladimir Putin's chief negotiator showed little interest in Ukrainian and European activism towards the Americans: 'I think their contribution is unlikely to be constructive,' noted the Kremlin presidential advisor, warning: 'If there are relevant amendments' to the first American draft 'we will have strong objections, because we have expressed our position very clearly'. Ushakov then dismissed Zelensky's openness to new elections as a ploy 'to achieve a temporary ceasefire for a while and resume fighting later'.

If all eyes are on Berlin, where on this Sunday the Ukrainians led by Volodymyr Zelensky and the Americans, with Steve Witkoff, are busily negotiating peace, it is certainly also thanks to Friedrich Merz. And quite apart from the as yet unverified outcome of this extremely difficult negotiation, which is intended to bring about a truce before Christmas, there are those who already openly acknowledge it: after the transition of Olaf Scholz, who had made Germany too timid, the Chancellor of the Cdu has succeeded in restoring the Federal Republic to an eminent position in Europe, and in winning a certain respect from Donald Trump.

He acts as a 'bridge-builder', modulating the pace between openness and caution. Berlin is today 'the capital of European diplomacy', Ukrainian ambassador Oleksii Makeiev commented to the Welt. And for Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who is expected at the chancellery on Monday along with Giorgia Meloni and a long list of European leaders, tomorrow's summit 'is an excellent initiative', showing that 'you cannot talk about Kiev without Kiev', he told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. 'Wild poker in the centre of Berlin', meanwhile, wrote the Bild.

'Will Merz succeed in the breach'? , one wonders. In an armoured city, however, the climate is tense: the Germans are very cautious and admit that they cannot dictate the agenda anyway. It is not even clear yet whether the American envoy will meet the Europeans, while Zelensky already has a bilateral meeting announced with the Kanzler tomorrow afternoon. Berlin has however snatched the limelight from Paris, where the talks scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled.

The meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and the Americans Witkoff and Kushner lasted four hours, negotiations between the Ukrainian and American delegations will continue tomorrow. The specific proposals under consideration have not yet been disclosed, says the newspaper, while some press organs report that the Donbass issue and security guarantees were being discussed during the talks, but the details are unknown.