Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed willingness to abandon his country’s bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees on Sunday, but rejected the US proposal to cede territory to Russia as he met with US envoys to discuss the conclusion of the war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Steve Witkoff
Zelenskyy met with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son in law. The Ukrainian leader shared photos of the bargaining table, where German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sat next to him, facing the US team.
Responding to reporters’ questions in audio recordings on a WhatsApp group chat prior to the meetings, Zelenskyy stated that because the United States and certain European countries had rejected Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, Kyiv wants the West to provide a set of guarantees equivalent to those granted to alliance members.
“These security guarantees are a chance to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” Mr. Putin stated. “And this is already a compromise on our part.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Ukraine’s attempt to join NATO as a grave threat to Moscow’s security and a justification for waging a full-scale invasion in February 2022. As part of any potential peace deal, the Kremlin has insisted that Ukraine renounce its aspirations for alliance membership.
Zelenskyy stressed that any security assurances must be legally enforceable and approved by the United States Congress, and that he expected an update from his team following a meeting between Ukrainian and US military officials in Stuttgart, Germany.
Washington has spent months attempting to balance the demands of each side, as Trump pushed for a quick end to Russia’s war and grows increasingly frustrated by delays. The quest for viable concessions has encountered significant challenges, notably Russian control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk area.
Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the area
Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the area of the Donetsk region that is still under its control as a vital condition for peace, but Kyiv has rejected this demand.
According to Zelenskyy, the United States proposed that Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk and establish a demilitarized free economic zone there, which he rejected as unrealistic.
“I do not consider this fair, because who will manage this economic zone?” He said. “If we’re talking about a buffer zone along the line of contact, or an economic zone, and we believe that simply a police mission should be present, with troops withdrawing, the question is straightforward. If Ukrainian troops withdraw 5-10 kilometers, for example, why don’t Russian troops withdraw the same amount deeper into occupied territories?”
Zelenskyy described the situation as “very sensitive” and pushed on a halt along the line of contact, saying that “today a fair possible option is we stand where we stand.”
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, told the business newspaper Kommersant that Russian police and national guard would remain in portions of the Donetsk region even if it became a demilitarized zone under a potential peace deal.
Ushakov cautioned that finding a settlement could take a long time, noting that U.S. suggestions that addressed Russian concerns had been “worsened” by changes offered by Ukraine and its European partners.
Speaking to Russian state TV on Sunday, Ushakov stated that “the contribution of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is unlikely to be constructive,” adding that Moscow will “have very strong objections.”
Ushakov further stated that the territory question was extensively discussed in Moscow when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month. “The Americans know and understand our position,” stated the minister.
Zelenskyy stated that he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, right before the discussions with Trump’s envoys, thanking him for his support and added that “we are coordinating closely and working together for the sake of our shared security.”
Macron committed himself to X: “France is, and will remain, at Ukraine’s side to build a robust and lasting peace – one that can guarantee Ukraine’s security and sovereignty, and that of Europe, over the long term.”
Merz, who has led European efforts to help Ukraine alongside Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, stated on Saturday that “the decades of the ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe and Germany as well.”
He cautioned that Putin’s goal is “a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders.”
“If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop,” Merz said at a party convention in Munich on Saturday.
Putin has rejected ambitions to re-establish the Soviet Union or attack any European allies.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia sent ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones into Ukraine overnight. The air force reported 110 interceptions or downings, but missile and drone impacts were registered in six sites.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
According to Zelenskyy, hundreds of thousands of homes in the south, east, and northeast areas were still without power on Sunday, and efforts to restore electricity, heat, and water to numerous regions were ongoing following a large-scale attack the night before.
According to the Ukrainian president, Russia has launched almost 1,500 strike drones, approximately 900 guided aerial bombs, and 46 different types of missiles at Ukraine in the last week.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that air defenses shot down 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday.
In the Belgorod region, a drone injured a man and set fire to his home in the village of Yasnye Zori, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
According to regional governor Andrei Bocharov, Ukrainian drones damaged an oil depot in Uryupinsk, Volgograd, causing a fire.
In the Krasnodar region, Ukrainian drones assaulted the town of Afipsky, which houses an oil refinery. Authorities stated the blasts smashed windows in residential structures but did not disclose any damage to the refinery.
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