Berlin: The United States, Ukraine, and Europe have reached consensus or significantly closed gaps on 90 percent of their differences regarding a 20-point draft peace plan. This development was reported on Monday, citing two senior U.S. officials, after discussions took place in Berlin.

According to Namibia Press Agency, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner engaged with senior Ukrainian and European officials over the peace deal on Sunday and Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the Berlin talks as a “first draft” via a post on social media platform X, highlighting the need to remove “destructive” elements.

Zelensky noted that Ukraine has compromised by accepting strong security guarantees instead of NATO membership. However, details about the nature of U.S. commitments on Ukraine’s security guarantees remain unclear, including whether the U.S. Senate will need to ratify any Article Five-like arrangements for a non-NATO country.

The issu
e of territorial concessions continues to be a significant hurdle. Zelensky emphasized that it would be impossible for Ukraine to relinquish territory, primarily in Donetsk, that Russia has not secured on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Trump expressed optimism about the progress of the talks, stating that an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict is closer than ever, though he acknowledged the challenges that remain.

Trump mentioned that negotiators are working with Europe on security guarantees to prevent the war from reigniting. Plans are underway for negotiators to meet in the United States this weekend, as shared by a U.S. official during a media phone briefing.