Talks in Berlin: what Ukraine and the US agreed on and why key issues remain open
16 December 17:05
The recent round of talks between Ukraine and the United States in Berlin showed significant progress on security guarantees and Kyiv’s post-war reconstruction.
At the same time, political analysts emphasize that the main obstacle to peace remains Russia’s lack of readiness for real compromise, and key territorial and security issues have not yet been resolved.
Russia’s unreadiness for peace
Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko in a commentary
He argues that we should not expect a quick peace, as Russia will not agree to a cessation of hostilities in the coming months, because Putin believes that he can win the war.
In his opinion, negotiations are important for the Russian leader only to maintain communication with Trump, not to achieve peace.
Fesenko notes that significant progress has been made in Berlin on security guarantees and post-war reconstruction, which shows Ukraine’s ability to negotiate with the Americans.
However, the Americans are ready to agree to Russia’s key demand – the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas, which is unacceptable to Kyiv and will only “lead to a deadlock in the negotiations.”
“Russia believes, Putin believes to be more precise, that they can win the war. So why partial concessions from Ukraine if they think they can get everything? Negotiations are important for Putin only to maintain constructive communication with Trump. Not to negotiate peace,” Fesenko summarized.
Preserving the partnership and “America’s Choice”
Political analyst Ruslan Bortnik believes that the main success of the negotiations is that Ukraine has achieved the “necessary minimum ” – it has maintained communication with the White House. He expressed this opinion in a commentary
He notes that some of the documents, including those on security guarantees and Ukraine’s restoration, are “ready for signature,” and more than half of the points in the peace plan are also ready for signature.
Bortnyk emphasizes that Ukraine has not made any strategic concessions regarding territories or renunciation of NATO. Currently, Ukraine’s strategic task is to convince the United States to “put pressure on Russia, not Ukraine.”
In his opinion, the choice is now on the American side: either to be satisfied with this progress and put pressure on Moscow, or to continue to put pressure on Kyiv to get all the cards before starting negotiations with the Kremlin.
“First of all, this means continuing the negotiation process. An extremely difficult negotiation process… And this negotiation process is extremely important for Ukraine to preserve, because it means preserving the partnership with the United States. This is the main conclusion we can draw,” Bortnik emphasized.
