In the struggle to end the war in Ukraine, European heads of state and government have offered to put together a protective force to secure a possible ceasefire.
Dec 16, 2025, 3:58 amDec 16, 2025, 3:58 am
What came out of the talks in Berlin?
Those involved talk about progress, but the Berlin talks didn’t produce much in the way of concrete results. However, in a joint statement adopted at the end of the Ukraine talks, there is a significant passage: A European-led and US-backed force would support the Ukrainian armed forces in the event of a ceasefire and ensure the security of the airspace and sea. This should also happen “through operations within Ukraine,” the document says.
Those involved in the Berlin talks in the obligatory group photo.Image: keystone
The protection force is one of several commitments that the signatory states make in the event that an agreement to end the war is reached. In addition to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the heads of state from France, Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden as well as EU Council President António Costa and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also signed the declaration. An international force to protect Ukraine had been discussed for a long time. There was great skepticism about such plans in EU countries such as Germany and Italy.
What does the USA say?
There was initially no comment from the US side on the statement. Previously, a senior US official said that a security package would also include surveillance and conflict prevention measures so that the Ukrainian population feels safe. According to the official, it does not amount to US ground troops in Ukraine.
The USA had recently ruled out participating in such a force. Trump said in the summer that the United States was ready to support its allies – for example from the air. France and Great Britain in particular have been pushing for concrete preparations for a long time, while Germany has been more cautious. Russia categorically rejects the use of troops to monitor a ceasefire.
What should the Ukrainian army look like in the future?
The European statement also assured Ukraine of “continued and significant support” for its armed forces, which should have a peacetime strength of 800,000 soldiers.
The document marks the end of the two-day negotiations in Berlin, in which a US delegation led by the US government’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, took part on Sunday and Monday, alongside Ukraine’s most important European allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The focus was on the further development of a peace plan presented by the USA – but without Russian participation. The question therefore arises as to how Moscow will react to the results of the talks in Berlin.
What other results are there?
Details of the content are not known. But all parties involved publicly viewed the negotiations as progress. This particularly concerns the security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. “The legal and material guarantees that the USA have put on the table here in Berlin are truly remarkable. This is very important progress,” said German Chancellor Merz, for example.
US President Trump said in Washington that they were now “closer” to a solution than before. He had talks with the Europeans and Zelensky. “It seems to be going well.” At the same time, the US President restricted:
“We have been saying this for a long time and it is a difficult matter.”
Meanwhile, Zelensky seems to have come to terms with the fact that joining NATO is unrealistic. He had already discussed a waiver in the run-up to the Berlin talks as a compromise in exchange for security guarantees.
Now it’s about how to get a guarantee of assistance from the NATO states that is similar to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. Thereafter, an attack on one state is treated as an attack on all. What this means in detail is still quite unclear.
Where was there no progress?
On the most difficult question of possible cessions of territory by Ukraine to the aggressor Russia. Zelenskyj spoke of the warring parties’ continued “different positions” and expressed the hope that the USA could act as a mediator to bring about a consensus. There are possible solutions, but there is no real movement in sight even after the meeting in Berlin.
One of Russia’s core demands for a ceasefire is that Ukraine also give up those cities in the Donetsk region that are strategically important for the country’s defense and that Russia has not yet been able to conquer. Zelenskyj rejected such gifts to the “aggressor state” and points to the country’s constitution, which does not allow such cessions of territory.
What’s next?
The USA will now feed the results back to Russia, which was not at the table in Berlin. When and how this will happen is still unclear. The high-ranking US official also mentioned a meeting with working groups and military personnel at the weekend “perhaps” in Miami, Florida – but it remained unclear whether this should be a purely internal US event or whether other countries should also be involved.
How does Russia react to the talks?
Until late in the evening there were no official reactions from Russia to the statements made by the Europeans and Americans regarding the talks with Zelensky. However, the Kremlin had already stated before the negotiations began that “hardly anything good” could be expected from Ukraine’s European allies in the negotiations and that previous proposals from the EU had already been unacceptable for Russia.
Russia has so far categorically rejected the use of troops from NATO states to monitor a ceasefire and warned that troops from the military alliance would be seen as a military target and destroyed. A referendum proposed by Zelensky on the cessions of territory demanded by Russia, which the Europeans would support, was also rejected in Moscow.
Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov described it as Russian territory. Russia had already annexed the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, but to this day does not completely control them, and this annexation is not internationally recognized anyway.
What lies ahead for Europeans?
The most difficult part of the week still lies ahead for Europeans. A decision on the use of Russian state assets worth around 185 billion euros frozen in the EU is due to be made on Thursday. There is a lot at stake – for the EU, Ukraine and also for the German Chancellor.
Merz has been at the forefront of supporters of such a step. For him it is the first big test as a leader in Europe. He therefore increased the pressure again on Monday and declared the decision to be a “key question” for the EU: If a “no” vote was taken, Europe’s ability to act would be “massively damaged” for years to come.
For Ukraine, a no would mean that support from its allies would gradually dry up. And with US President Trump there is no longer any willingness to spend money on the war.
Putin will follow the decision closely. The Kremlin warns of the far-reaching consequences of such “theft” and threatens to take countermeasures. From a Russian perspective, this could also destroy any chances of a ceasefire.
Is a ceasefire possible before Christmas?
Given the slow progress in the negotiations and Russia’s lack of compromise on its demands, a ceasefire before Christmas would be a big surprise. This despite US President Donald Trump calling for an agreement by Christmas.
However, Friedrich Merz called on Putin to at least lay down his weapons over the holidays. “Perhaps the Russian government has some remaining human decency and will at least leave the population in peace with this terror for a few days over Christmas.”
(sda/dpa/con)
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