#Zelensky said on Sunday that the #US, #Europe & other partners' #security guarantees instead of #NATO membership were a compromise on #Ukraine's side.

"From the very beginning, Ukraine's desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US & Europe did not support this direction," he said in answer to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat.

#geopolitics #Russia #war #StandWithUkraine

"Thus, today, bilateral #security guarantees between #Ukraine & the #US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, & security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries — #Canada, #Japan — are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion," #Zelensky said.

"And it is already a compromise from our part," he said, adding that the security guarantees should be legally binding.

#geopolitics #Europe #Russia #war #StandWithUkraine

Russian President Vladimir #Putin has repeatedly demanded that #Ukraine officially renounce its #NATO ambitions & withdraw #troops from the about 10% of #Donbas which Kyiv still controls. Moscow has also said that Ukraine must be a neutral country & that no NATO troops can be stationed in Ukraine.

#geopolitics #Europe #US #Russia #war #StandWithUkraine

Russian sources said earlier this year that #Putin wants a "written" pledge by major Western powers not to enlarge the [formerly] #US-led #NATO alliance eastwards - shorthand for formally ruling out membership to #Ukraine, #Georgia, #Moldova & other former Soviet republics.

#geopolitics #Europe #Russia #war #StandWithUkraine

…Although the exact make-up of the meetings on Sunday & Monday have not been made public, a #US official said #Trump envoy #SteveWitkoff & son-in-law #JaredKushner were travelling to Germany for talks involving Ukrainians & Europeans.

The choice to send Witkoff, who has led negotiations with #Ukraine & #Russia on a US “peace” proposal, appeared to be a signal that Washington sees a chance of “progress”….

#WarProfiteering #kleptocracy #geopolitics #Europe #war #StandWithUkraine

> were travelling to Germany for talks involving Ukrainians & Europeans.

Given that the Trump admin sees Europe as a group of weak and decaying nations (= no serious partners in negotiation) and on the other side European nations feel threatened by Putin's Russia (and don't see much sense in a peace proposal where this threat is not neutered or mitigated), I'd not set too much hope in those meetings.

My first guess would be that the US side just wants to rope Europe into pressuring Ukraine into a peace proposal that is disadvantageous to the Ukraine and also disadvantageous to Europe in mid term (it seems, a couple of European countries are believing --- I think not without any reason --- that they'll be in a military conflict with Putin's Russia within the next 4 years).