Ukraine and U.S. divided over territory after intense negotiations
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (2ndL), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (3rdL), U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner (back row C) US special envoy Steve Witkoff (back row 2ndL) meet for talks at the Chancellery on December 14, 2025 in Berlin. Photo: Guido Bergmann/Bundesregierung via Getty
Two days of intense negotiations between Ukraine, the U.S. and European officials resulted in clear progress on security guarantees for Ukraine but left significant gaps on the issue of territory, U.S. officials told reporters on Monday.
Why it matters: The U.S. side wants to finalize a deal with Ukraine that they can turn around and present to the Russians. The two main friction points during several weeks of talks have been the security guarantees Ukraine would receive from the U.S. and its European allies, and the location of the post-war lines of control.
- The U.S. officials said Monday that the sides were approaching an agreement on security guarantees, which would be based on NATO's Article 5.
- But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who spent seven hours with Trump's advisers in Berlin over the past two days — confirmed the sides still had "different positions on territory."
Between the lines: The U.S. plan calls for Ukraine to pull back from the roughly 14% of the Donbas region which it controls, but which Russia has claimed. In the latest draft, that would become a demilitarized "free economic zone."
- Zelensky has publicly questioned why Russia would not simply move in once Ukraine's troops withdraw, and has also said only the Ukrainian people could agree to territorial concessions, possibly through a referendum.
- Speaking at the end of Monday's talks in Berlin, Zelensky said he did not believe the U.S. was "demanding" Ukraine cede the territory in question, but passing on Russia's demands. A source with knowledge described the discussions around territory as "complicated."
- A U.S. official also said it would be up to Ukraine to decide how to handle the territorial issue. But the official also said the rest of the U.S. offer — including the strongest security guarantees put forward to date — "will not be on the table forever."
Driving the news: Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met for dinner with Zelensky and several European leaders on Monday, and Trump called into the dinner.
- Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after the call that he had a good and long discussion with Zelensky and the European leaders.
- "Things are seemingly going well ... I think we are closer to a deal than we have ever been," Trump said.
Zoom in: One of the U.S. officials said "90%" of the issues had been resolved between the U.S. and Ukraine, but some of the outstanding matters require technical discussions.
- There will likely be talks this weekend "somewhere in the United States, could be Miami, with working groups, military people, looking at maps," a U.S. official said.
- Zelensky met with U.S. and European officials for more than five hours on Sunday and more than two hours on Monday. Both sides described those meetings as productive, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — who also took part — was bullish on what the U.S. had proposed regarding security guarantees.
The intrigue: A U.S. official claimed the Ukrainian and European interlocutors were surprised the U.S. side was willing to offer so much on security guarantees — and that they believed Russia would agree.
- "Giving this NATO-like Article Five guarantee is something that President Trump believes he can get Russia to accept," the official said. The official confirmed the security guarantees "would have to go before the Senate," but did not say whether the administration would seek a formal treaty.
- Zelensky said he wanted a clearer understanding of how the security guarantees would work before making any decisions on territory.
- "We are really close to strong security guarantees", Zelensky said in a briefing with reporters on Monday after his call with Trump and the European leaders.
Breaking it down: The U.S. argument is that this deal offers Ukraine robust security guarantees, accelerates its path to the European Union, and puts billions on the table for rebuilding — but comes with the bitter pill of massive territorial concessions.
- Russia would secure territorial gains and the chance to reintegrate with the global economy and the community of nations.
- The mission, as one U.S. official described it, is to "come up with the strongest package possible, in order to see if we can go back to Russia with something that can close this out."
- But officials in Kyiv and European capitals are wary that Ukraine could agree to make painful concessions, only for Russia to balk at the deal and hold out for more.
What to watch: Zelensky told reporters on Monday after his meetings in Berlin that Ukrainian and U.S. officials support German Chancellor Merz's suggestion of a Christmas ceasefire.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff's and Jared Kushner's dinner with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with comment from President Trump and Zelensky.
