Peace by year's end: Trump to send Witkoff to meet with Zelenskyy and European leaders - WSJ
Photo: US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet in Berlin with European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting is seen as key amid the White House’s push to achieve peace in Ukraine, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to sources, the decision to send Witkoff, who has led talks with Ukraine and Russia on the US peace plan, signals an intensification of Washington’s efforts to narrow differences between Kyiv and Washington. On Sunday and Monday, he is also expected to hold separate meetings with representatives of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
The Berlin meeting is expected to be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as senior advisers on Ukraine-related issues.
Trump promised to send envoy only if there was progress
The White House recently said that US President Donald Trump would agree to send an official representative only if there was “sufficient progress” in the peace talks. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was "tired of meetings for the sake of meetings."
Initially, European leaders had hoped to organize an in-person meeting with Trump in Europe to discuss changes they proposed to the US peace plan.
Is there consensus on peace plan
The talks are taking place amid responses by Ukraine and its allies to US initiatives. According to sources, serious disagreements remain, particularly over Ukrainian territories claimed by Moscow, which Kyiv refuses to concede.
Washington is pressuring both Ukraine and Russia to accept the proposed plan, using an approach similar to the one applied during efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. At the same time, concerns are growing in the US and Europe that the plan would require far greater concessions from Ukraine than from Russia.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected a US proposal to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Donbas to create a so-called free economic zone there. Kyiv has also said the US plan limits the size of Ukraine’s armed forces and omits several provisions that were included in earlier versions of the document. Separately, Ukraine insists on joining the EU in early 2027.
Trump again criticizes Zelenskyy
US President Donald Trump has again publicly criticized Zelenskyy, claiming that he had not reviewed a previous version of the peace plan and had not signaled readiness to reconsider Washington’s terms.
According to sources, Trump’s phone call with European leaders this week was tense. He reportedly urged Berlin, Paris, and London to pressure Zelenskyy to accept US conditions involving territorial concessions and restrictions on Ukraine’s armed forces.
Against this backdrop, Zelenskyy on Friday made an unannounced visit to Kupiansk, where he recorded a video address in support of Ukrainian troops. He stressed that Russian claims of control over the city do not reflect reality.
Peace talks state
Trump’s team has previously said the US leader is fatigued by repeated rounds of talks and that Washington would send an envoy only if there is tangible progress toward a peace agreement.
European leaders have sought a meeting with Trump and Zelenskyy in the coming days, which is expected to take place in Berlin.
The peace plan presented by Washington has already been revised multiple times by Europe, Ukraine, and the United States. Moscow, however, has rejected the latest version and continues to insist on provisions unacceptable to Kyiv, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas, a reduction in the size of Ukraine’s army, and other sensitive demands.
