US Politics
Volodymyr Zelensky ditches hopes of Ukraine joining Nato ahead of crunch peace talks in Berlin
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President Volodymyr Zelensky has relinquished Ukraine’s bid to join Nato ahead of crunch peace talks with the US and European allies in Berlin.
The Ukrainian president ditched his hopes to join the military alliance in what he said was a “compromise” to end the war with Russia.
In a major shift, Zelensky said Ukraine will instead ask for Western security guarantees, which he said should be legally binding.
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The move comes as Zelensky prepares to meet US envoys and European allies in Berlin for yet another round of negotiations in the hopes of a peace deal being struck.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were spotted entering a hotel in central Berlin on Sunday.
They are expected to meet Zelensky for talks alongside European allies, including Sir Keir Starmer and the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
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The UK prime minister will attend the talks as Britain continues to discuss a crucial deal to use frozen Russian sovereign assets to help provide funds for Kyiv.
Sir Keir spoke with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, on Saturday to discuss the move and work on the US-led peace proposals.
Speaking about Monday’s talks, Zelensky said in an address to the nation late on Saturday: “I will be meeting with envoys of President Trump, and there will also be meetings with our European partners, with many leaders, concerning the foundation of peace – a political agreement to end the war.”
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Zelensky’s agreement to ditch Ukraine’s Nato ambitions marks a major shift for the country, which has sought to join it as a safeguard against Russian attacks, and has such an aspiration included in its constitution.
It also meets one of Russia’s war aims, although Kyiv has so far held firm against ceding territory to Moscow.
“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join Nato, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” he said in answer to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
“Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries, Canada, Japan, are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” Zelensky said.
He also said that a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia along the current frontline would be a fair option.
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Russia has demanded Kyiv withdraw its troops from parts of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions that Ukraine still holds. Answering questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat, Zelensky reiterated that the option would be unfair, adding that the issue of territory remained unresolved and very sensitive.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine officially renounce its Nato ambitions and withdraw troops from about 10 per cent of Donbas, which Kyiv still controls. Moscow has also said that Ukraine must be a neutral country and that no Nato troops can be stationed in Ukraine.
Britain, France and Germany have been working to refine the US proposals, which, in a draft disclosed last month, called for Kyiv to cede more territory, abandon its ambition to join Nato and accept limits on its armed forces.
European allies have described this as a “critical moment” that could shape Ukraine’s future, and sought to shore up Kyiv’s finances by leveraging frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Kyiv’s military and civilian budget.
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Britain has said it is ready to move in tandem with the EU to unlock immobilised Russian sovereign assets, the vast majority of which are held in Belgium.
But Belgium has so far resisted the move, calling on other nations in the trading bloc to share the risk amid fears it would be left on the hook to pay back the loan if Russia succeeded in thwarting the plan.
Sir Keir hosted the Belgian premier Bart De Wever in Downing Street on Friday afternoon as European leaders seek to agree on a path forward to providing Kyiv with further support.
At the top of his meeting with Sir Keir, Mr De Wever said there are “very important decisions to be made” in the EU next week, and he insisted “we and the UK will move together” to ensure Kyiv’s sovereignty.
In a readout after the meeting, No 10 said they agreed to continue working to make progress on unlocking Russian assets.
