Germany’s capital Berlin hosted a high-level diplomatic meeting aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the negotiating delegation led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.

The delegations, received by Merz, met behind closed doors for negotiations focused on ending the war in Ukraine. German media reported that Chancellor Merz left the meeting room early, while one of his advisers remained to continue the talks.

First Day Lasted More Than Five Hours

The Berlin leg of the negotiations ended after more than five hours of intensive talks on the first day. Zelensky’s adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said, “The talks lasted more than five hours and concluded for today, to resume tomorrow morning.”

Lytvyn added that Zelensky would provide a comprehensive assessment on Monday after the Berlin meetings conclude. The Ukrainian official noted that various draft documents were discussed in detail during the talks.

“We’re Willing To Give Up NATO Membership”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made striking remarks as part of the peace negotiations. Zelensky indicated that Ukraine could abandon its goal of NATO membership in exchange for strong and binding security guarantees.

“NATO membership has been Ukraine’s aspiration from the very beginning. This is about real security guarantees. However, some of our partners in the United States and Europe did not support this goal,” Zelensky said, noting that alternative security mechanisms are on the table.

Zelensky stated that bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States, U.S. guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5, and assurances from European partners as well as countries such as Canada and Japan could provide an opportunity to prevent a new Russian invasion. Stressing that these guarantees must be legally binding, Zelensky said, “This is a concession on our part.”

“Significant Progress Achieved”

U.S. and Ukrainian officials reported that “significant progress” was made on a proposed peace plan during the Berlin meetings. Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine, said in a post on social media platform X that the talks lasted more than five hours.

Witkoff said that in meetings attended by Zelensky, Jared Kushner, and their respective delegations, in-depth discussions were held on the 20-point peace plan, the economic agenda, and multiple other issues, adding that meaningful progress was achieved.

The Moscow Factor and the Broader Context

It was also recalled that Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month. During that meeting, Putin said Russia was open to negotiations but emphasized that it currently holds the strategic initiative on the battlefield.

The Berlin talks are being viewed as a critical turning point in diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine war, with expectations that more concrete steps could emerge during the second day of negotiations.