At a time when European leaders and publications in the Western press claim that pressure is being exerted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the U.S. proposal for security guarantees referring to Article 5 of NATO on collective security in order to consent to territorial concessions, specifically the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbass, Russia is rushing to clarify matters in categorical terms. We do not accept Western troops in Ukraine, nor are we going to make any concessions on our territories in Donbass, Novorossiya, and Crimea.
It is clear that yet another trap, yet another act of sabotage, is being set against the peace plan of the U.S. President Donald Trump.
Analysts argue that despite the official statements of European and American officials, what emerges from the two day negotiations (14 - 15 December) in Berlin is absolute ambiguity regarding both security guarantees and possible territorial concessions.
The main plan of the Europeans is once again to bring President Trump to their side and, in any case, to prevent the adoption of a plan that would be negative for Kyiv.
Under these “dirty games” and the constant sabotage by the Europeans, Moscow signals that it will not take a single step back from what was agreed between Presidents Putin and Trump in Alaska, especially given that the Russian army has absolute initiative on the front.
It is obvious that the war in Ukraine will continue for a long time yet.
Ryabkov (Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia): We will not agree to the presence of Western troops in Ukraine
Russia will under no circumstances agree to the presence of Western troops in Ukraine, in any form, even within the framework of NATO, argued the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Ryabkov.
In an interview with ABC News, Ryabkov emphasized that Russia is open to discussing possible solutions, but will never support, approve, or tolerate any presence of NATO forces on Ukrainian territory.
When asked whether Russia could accept European forces in Ukraine outside NATO, Ryabkov responded categorically: “No, no, and again no.”
As he stressed, the Russian side would not accept any peace solution that includes the presence of foreign forces in Ukraine, whether in the framework of security guarantees or as members of the so called “Coalition of the Willing.”
“Under no circumstances will we sign, agree to, or even settle for any presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,” said Ryabkov.
No concessions on Donbass, Novorossiya, and Crimea
In addition, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that Russia does not intend to make concessions regarding Donbass, Novorossiya, and Crimea, stating that this is not even subject to discussion.
The Russian official recalled that in 2022, following the referendums, the regions of the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Luhansk People’s Republic, Zaporizhia, and Kherson became an integral part of Russia.
“Today we have four entities that are an integral part of the Russian Federation.
I am not talking about Crimea, this story, as we all remember, dates back to 2014.
Thus, in total we have five entities, and under no circumstances can we accept a compromise on them, because, in our view, this would mean a revision of a very fundamental element of our statehood, as enshrined in our Constitution,” argued Ryabkov, noting that “the outcome of our negotiations with the U.S. administration remains open.”
We adhere to what Putin - Trump agreed in Alaska
However, Ryabkov expressed the belief that the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is already “on the doorstep.”
Asked how confident he is that the crisis is approaching a solution, Ryabkov replied: “I am very confident and almost convinced that we are on the threshold of resolving this terrible crisis.”
In addition, Ryabkov said that Moscow is adhering with absolute consistency to the agreements reached at the Putin - Trump meeting in Alaska.
Zelensky (President of Ukraine): Russia - U.S. negotiations will take place soon
In his statements, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued that soon the United States will conduct negotiations with Russia regarding the results of the talks in Berlin, noting that after these, the Ukrainian delegation may meet again with representatives of Donald Trump’s team in Washington.
According to Zelensky, the next steps will depend on the results of these contacts, including a possible meeting at the leadership level.
Ukraine will not recognize Donbass as Russian
However, after the negotiations with the United States, Zelensky stated that Ukraine “neither de jure nor de facto recognizes the Donbas as Russian territory.”
“The United States are seeking compromise approaches and are proposing a form of free economic zone, but this does not mean governance by Russia,” reports Ukrainska Pravda.
Axios: What is the U.S. objective
A report by Axios, citing a source from the Trump administration, states that the U.S. objective is to “prepare the strongest possible package of proposals, in order to see if we can return to Russia with something that will close this issue.”
The same source added that, in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbass, Washington is ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees similar to Article 5 of NATO.
It is argued that these will be approved by the U.S. Congress and will have legally binding force.
“We want to provide the Ukrainians with security guarantees that, on the one hand, will not be a full carte blanche, but on the other hand, will be sufficiently credible,” explained a White House official.
Bild: No answer on security guarantees and territorial concessions
The negotiations in Berlin, despite the official statements of representatives of European countries and the United States, did not provide a clear picture on two critical issues: security guarantees and possible territorial concessions by Ukraine, reports the German newspaper Bild, citing Ukrainian sources.
The analyst and deputy editor in chief of Bild, Paul Ronzheimer, stressed that the official statements “stand in stark contrast to what is said behind the cameras.”
“As happened last time, the Europeans hope that thanks to their common position they will manage to bring U.S. President Donald Trump to their side and at least prevent the adoption of a plan against Ukraine,” a source from Ukrainian government circles told the newspaper.
As Bild reports, the authorities in Kyiv do not understand what guarantees they will ultimately receive.
In addition, “even if the Ukrainians understand that at least temporarily it is impossible without territorial concessions,” the decision for a full withdrawal of troops from the Donbass will be difficult to explain to the population, the analyst estimates.
In his view, “legally, at this moment this is also hardly feasible.”
The goal is not to anger Trump
Nevertheless, the Special Envoy of the U.S. President, Steve Witkoff, and the son in law of Donald Trump, businessman Jared Kushner, according to the newspaper’s sources, maintained a firm stance regarding territorial concessions by Ukraine.
The positive statements after the negotiations in Berlin appear to be linked to the desire not to anger Trump and to gain time, estimates Ronzheimer.
At the same time, none of the participants believes that Moscow can abandon its demands, adds the German analyst.
“It seems that at this moment there is no good plan for us.
Either we will be forced into partial retreat, or the war will continue, without being provided with new assistance that could change something,” said a Bild source from Ukrainian government circles.
In Berlin, on 14 - 15 December, meetings were held between the American and Ukrainian delegations for the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
Telegraph: The U.S. are pressuring Zelensky
The United States are pressuring the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to accept U.S. security guarantees, otherwise the country risks losing them, reports the newspaper Telegraph.
An official from the U.S. presidency commented that the proposal constitutes “the greatest victory for Ukraine and for Europe to date” in the peace negotiations.
He added that Russia will find it difficult to agree, as Ukraine’s non accession to NATO is a critical point.
“Nevertheless, President Donald Trump believes that he will be able to persuade Russia to accept guarantees similar to Article 5 of NATO,” the official added.
Details on the security guarantees have not yet been made public.
What the Europeans announced
In the joint statement of the leaders of 10 European states and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, it is stated that security guarantees for Ukraine must provide for the creation of multinational forces under European leadership.
As stated, these forces will provide support to Ukraine for the reconstruction of its armed forces, the control of airspace and maritime security, as well as for the conduct of operations on Ukrainian territory.
Specifically, European leaders issued a joint statement with guarantees for Ukraine, according to which:
1) The armed forces of Ukraine must remain at 800.000 personnel.
2) Ukraine must be admitted to the EU.
3) A mechanism for monitoring and verification of the ceasefire must be activated under the leadership of the United States and the international community.
4) There is willingness to create “multinational forces” for the security of Ukraine.
American government officials argue that 90% of the peace agreement for Ukraine has already been agreed, but no compromise has been reached on issues of territorial concessions and control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
Politico: A deadline of a few days for Kyiv
Kyiv has only a few days to accept the time limited U.S. offer for security guarantees, reports Politico, citing an American official.
The White House seeks to pressure Kyiv and Moscow toward a peace agreement before Christmas.
However, if this does not happen, the offer for security guarantees from the United States may be withdrawn, as the American official hinted.
“These guarantees will not be discussed forever.
They are being discussed now, if a mutually acceptable agreement is reached,” said the official.
He added that the United States are offering “truly very strong guarantees, comparable to those included in Article 5 of the NATO charter.”
At the same time, European diplomats “are not sure that security guarantees will work without Ukraine’s accession to NATO.”
“Article 5 without membership will simply push Russia to test it for endurance,” estimates a European official.
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