President Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet Monday in Berlin with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Germany, France and the U.K. to try and reach an agreement over the U.S. plan for peace in Ukraine, two White House officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The White House is pushing Ukraine hard to approve its plan but the territorial concessions Kyiv is being asked to make remain a major sticking point. The U.S. side thinks all other issues are close to resolution, and that Zelensky may have offered a path forward on territory.
The intrigue: A White House official noted that Zelensky suggested during public remarks on Thursday that Ukraine could hold a referendum on a peace deal that included ceding territory. The official said the U.S. sees that as progress.
- Russia insists it must control the entire Donbas region under any deal, despite the fact that around 14% of the Donbas is still held by Ukraine. The U.S. included Russia's demand in its plan, while suggesting the area in question become a demilitarized zone.
- In those same remarks, Zelensky made clear he's highly skeptical of that U.S. proposal for a "free economic zone" in the Donbas, and is seeking changes and clarifications on other issues.
- He said he believes the question of whether the compromises Ukraine is being asked to make are fair "will be answered by the people of Ukraine" in a referendum or election.
- Holding such a vote under the current circumstances would be highly challenging. But a U.S. official said the Europeans said during a meeting on Friday that if Zelensky proposes a referendum on territory they will support him.
State of play: In that virtual meeting, Witkoff and Kushner discussed the plan for a demilitarized zone with the national security advisers of Ukraine, Germany, France and the U.K.
- A White House official said those discussions and the latest round of U.S.-Ukraine talks on Thursday showed enough progress to convince Trump to send Witkoff and Kushner to Europe.
- "They believe there could be a chance at peace and the President trusts them," a second White House official said.
- A spokesperson for Zelensky did not respond to a request for comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported about Witkoff and Kushner's trip to Europe.
Zoom in: Negotiations on the security guarantee Ukraine would receive from the U.S. and Europe have made significant progress.
- A senior U.S. official said the Trump administration is willing to give Ukraine a guarantee based on NATO's Article 5 that would be approved by Congress and be legally binding.
- "We want to give the Ukrainians a security guarantee that will not be a blank check on the one hand but will be strong enough on the other hand. We are willing to send it to Congress to vote on it," the U.S. official said.
Breaking it down: The U.S. official said there would be three separate agreements on peace, security guarantees, and reconstruction, and that the latest talks have given the Ukrainians a "a full day-after vision" for the first time.
- Negotiations over the post-war economic and reconstruction package are going well, according to the U.S. official.
- "When people see what they are going to get and not only what they are going to give they are more willing to move forward," the U.S. official said.
- "According to the current proposal the war will end with Ukraine keeping the sovereignty over 80% of its territory, will get the biggest and strongest security guarantee it has ever got and will get a very significant prosperity package," the official added.
Friction point: Several European leaders have been counseling Zelensky that he does not need to rush into a deal, particularly one that forces him to cede territory that Ukraine has not actually lost on the battlefield.
- It's also unclear if Russia will be willing to accept the U.S. proposals.
- Zelensky said Thursday that the U.S. side wanted a to reach "full understanding" on the plan by Christmas.
