High-level diplomatic discussions between Ukrainian and American officials in Berlin concluded on Monday without resolving the central dispute over the status of eastern Ukrainian territories, sources familiar with the negotiations indicate. The talks, which extended into a second day, are part of a broader effort to establish a framework for potential peace negotiations with Russia.
A key point of contention remains the future of the Donbas region, comprising Donetsk and Luhansk. According to an official briefed on the discussions, American negotiators continue to advocate for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the portions of these regions still under Kyiv’s control as a prerequisite for talks with Moscow. Ukrainian authorities have reportedly resisted this demand.
Public sentiment in Ukraine appears to align with the government’s position. A poll released Monday by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 75% of respondents oppose ceding any part of the Donbas to Russia. Moscow currently controls nearly all of Luhansk and approximately 80% of Donetsk.
In a related development, the Russian central bank has initiated a major legal claim, seeking approximately $230 billion in damages from the Euroclear securities depository in Brussels. This move is widely seen as a retaliatory warning against European Union plans to utilize frozen Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine.
EU leaders are scheduled to decide later this week on a proposal to use billions in immobilized Russian funds as collateral for a loan to Kyiv. The majority of these assets are held at Euroclear. Russian officials have condemned the plan as “theft” and threatened reciprocal seizures of European holdings within Russia.
The Berlin meetings also addressed Ukraine’s security posture. While Ukrainian officials have signaled a willingness to formally renounce pursuit of NATO membership—a longstanding Russian demand—they are seeking robust, alternative security guarantees from Western partners akin to NATO’s collective defense principle.
Following the bilateral talks with U.S. envoys, Ukrainian leadership was set to meet with a group of European heads of government in Berlin in a show of political solidarity. The broader diplomatic push comes ahead of a critical EU summit where the contentious issue of financing for Ukraine through Russian assets will be decided.
