Berlin (dpa) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sees progress following negotiations with US representatives over a peace plan for his country, but he said several difficult questions remain.
He said during a press conference with German Chancellor FriedrichMerz in Berlin that it is known that Moscow is demanding that Ukraine give up territory, but Ukraine has managed to clarify its position to the US negotiators.
“Ukraine is being heard,” Zelensky said.
He contradicted the interpretation that the United States had exerted pressure on Ukraine to make territorial concessions in the eastern Donbass region. The US representatives conveyed Moscow’s position to the Ukrainian side and would now present the Ukrainian stance to the Russian side, Zelensky explained.
The US could propose steps towards a consensus, Zelensky said. He hopes that the US administration will continue its mediation. “What will ultimately come out regarding the territories, we will see.”
Similar to Article 5 of NATO?
He said they had heard from the US side that they were ready for security guarantees corresponding to Article 5 of the NATO Charter. That doesn’t look too bad, he said, and it is a first step.
The question, he said, is how a ceasefire would be practically monitored; only then could security guarantees prove themselves.
Article 5 of the NATO treaty stipulates that an armed attack on one or more NATO members in Europe or North America will be considered an attack on them all.
Regarding security guarantees, US officials have also spoken of progress, although it is not yet clear what a possible commitment to assistance would look like. Moscow refuses to agree to a ceasefire until a comprehensive peace settlement is reached.
