Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday voiced readiness to drop his country’s bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, but rejected the U.S. push for ceding territory to Russia as he held talks with U.S. envoys on ending the war.
Zelenskyy sat down with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
In a readout provided by Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy said that a „lot of progress was made“ during the meeting, without providing details.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Zelensky signaled that Ukraine seeks NATO-like security guarantees as part of a peace deal to prevent future Russian aggression, as full membership is opposed by the U.S. and other partners.
Ahead of the meeting, Axios reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that the Trump administration may be willing to provide Congress-approved NATO-like security guarantees.
(December 6, 2025)
Zelenskyy emphasized that these years have changed Ukrainians. „And Ukrainians are a nation of believers. We strongly believe in God and hope for His help. We turn to Him in prayer,“ the president said.
At the same time, he added that Ukraine must rely on itself, its Armed Forces, its partners, particularly Europe and the United States, and the „adequate civilized world,“ which knows that Russia has long violated international law, „the laws of common sense, and absolutely all of God’s callings.“
„Therefore, we fight on the battlefield, in the diplomatic arena, we fight against the despondency within us. We know we are not alone, and we believe that together we will defend our rights. And we have them—the just right to life, our God-given land. We will definitely defend our future and a just peace,“ the head of state noted.
(March 5, 2022)
Die Maßnahmen bzw Bedingungen für und in der Ukraine.
– Neutralität, also weder Mitgliedschaft im Nordatlantikpakt N.A.T.O., noch in der Europäischen Union. Modell ähnlich wie Yugoslawien und Finnland nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg.
– bestimmt nicht demilitarisiert, sondern bis an die Zähne bewaffnet, allerdings ohne Atomzähne jedweder Art, weder Entwicklung noch Stationierung
– nach Wahl der ukrainischen Regierungen bzw Parlamentsmehrheiten jeweils Handelspakte und Waffenlieferungen mit bzw durch E.U. und N.A.T.O., ähnlich wie mit der Schweiz oder Schweden.
Ukraine remains ready for peace talks with Russia but will never formally recognize the Russian occupation or accept restrictions on its army size or alliances, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on Nov. 24.
These are the „red lines“ that nobody can cross, „neither physically, nor legally, nor morally,“ Stefanchuk said during the Parliamentary Summit of the Crimean Platform in Stockholm.
„No recognition of Russia‘s occupation of Ukrainian territories, no limits on the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and no veto over Ukraine‘s choice of future alliances,“ the official said.
Trump has stepped up pressure on Zelensky ahead of Aug. 18 peace talks in Washington with European leaders, saying on Truth Social that the Ukrainian president could end the war „almost immediately“ if he chose to or he could „continue to fight“ while making it clear that Ukraine would not be permitted to join NATO or reclaim Crimea from Russian control as part of any potential deal with Moscow.
Zelensky meanwhile cautioned that any new deal must prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from using concessions as a „springboard“ for another attack, citing Russia‘s seizure of Crimea in 2014.
What I would look for after the Monday meetings is, does Trump stick to his guns post-Alaska and say, “No, we’re gonna have a big, comprehensive peace agreement, and land for peace is on the table.”
Or does he kind of swing back towards the European point of view and say, “I really think the first thing we got to have is a ceasefire”?
Even critics of Trump need to acknowledge that he’s never been a warmonger. He doesn’t like war. He thinks it’s too chaotic. He can’t control it. No telling what will happen at the other end of war. I think he sincerely wants for the shooting and the killing to stop above all else.
The way you do that is a ceasefire.
Anlässlich des NATO-Gipfels in Den Haag diskutieren der Schweizer Historiker Daniele Ganser, BSW-Außenpolitikerin Sevim Dagdelen und NachDenkSeiten-Redakteur Florian Warweg über die Zukunft des selbsternannten „Verteidigungs“-Bündnisses. Wo steht die NATO derzeit zwischen „gehirntot“ und weiterer Ausdehnung? Welche Rolle spielt die EU in diesem Rahmen? Wie steht die Bevölkerung zu den massiv steigenden Militärausgaben zu Lasten wirtschaftlicher und sozialer Investitionen? Welche Möglichkeiten gäbe es für Deutschland, aus dem immer aggressiver auftretenden Militärbündnis auszusteigen, ähnlich wie Frankreich unter de Gaulle in den 1960er-Jahren?
Trump called it „the worst statement that could have been made“ and accused Zelensky of not wanting peace „as long as he has America‘s backing.“
Zelensky countered that Ukraine needs real peace and that no one wants it more than Ukrainians, as the war continues to devastate cities and claim lives.
„Peace is needed as soon as possible,“ he said.
According to the president, Ukraine continues to work with partners and is preparing for other steps in the near future.
“It is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible. We need real peace and Ukrainians want it most because the war ruins our cities and towns. We lose our people,” Zelenskyy noted.
He stressed that the war must be stopped and security guaranteed.