Ukraine–US Negotiations Resume in Berlin Amid European Leaders' Solidarity and Controversy Over Reparations Loan
Ukraine–US negotiations in Berlin resumed after five hours of talks on Sunday, with a follow-up mini-summit of European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky planned to show solidarity with Kyiv. Key issues discussed include potential Ukrainian territorial concessions in the east and security guarantees aimed at preventing a third Russian aggression.
The negotiation plan is linked to the proposal of using frozen Russian funds to support Ukraine via a reparations loan. A decision on this is anticipated at the upcoming European Council summit in Brussels. Attendees of the mini-summit comprise leaders such as Britain’s Keir Starmer, Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre, the Netherlands’ Dick Schoof, Poland’s Donald Tusk, Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson, as well as EU and NATO officials.
However, the proposal faced criticism from Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who stated that no guarantees or funds would be provided. EU unity and leverage are viewed as crucial this week as Brussels balances the reparations loan proposal against pressure on the US to pursue efforts to end the war.
Meanwhile, Moscow has publicly dismissed calls made so far by Ukraine’s European partners. US President Donald Trump, who has publicly branded EU leaders as weak, is expected to closely watch the EU’s actions as the talks progress.
