Trump says Ukraine peace deal ‘closer than ever’ after Berlin talks, gaps remain

US President Donald Trump said an agreement to end the war in Ukraine is “closer than ever” following intensive talks in Berlin with Ukrainian and European leaders, though officials on all sides acknowledge that key differences, particularly over territory, have yet to be resolved.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he had held “very long and very good talks” with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky as well as the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and NATO.

“We’re having tremendous support from European leaders. They want to get it ended also,” Trump said, adding that Washington had also held “numerous conversations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever, and we’ll see what we can do,” he said.

The Berlin meetings brought together Zelensky, a US delegation led by envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and senior European officials, as diplomatic pressure builds to find a framework for ending the conflict, now the most serious war in Europe since World War II.

Zelensky described the negotiations as difficult but constructive, stressing that Kyiv needed clarity before committing to any far-reaching decisions.

European leaders said in a joint statement that they and the United States were aligned on providing “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine, including a European-led multinational force supported by Washington. The proposed mission would operate inside Ukraine, help rebuild its armed forces, secure its airspace and support maritime safety, while maintaining Ukrainian forces at a peacetime level of about 800,000 troops.

Two US officials told Reuters that the proposed guarantees were “Article 5-like”, referring to NATO’s collective defence principle, though Ukraine would not formally join the alliance under the current discussions.

Ukraine has previously indicated it could set aside its NATO ambitions in exchange for firm, legally binding security guarantees. Zelensky reiterated that any settlement would require effective ceasefire monitoring and a clear understanding of how guarantees would work in practice.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Washington had put forward “considerable” proposals in Berlin.

“What the US has placed on the table here, in terms of legal and material guarantees, is really considerable,” Merz said, while emphasising that territorial questions remain central. “Only Ukraine can decide about territorial concessions. No ifs or buts,” he added.

Meanwhile, the EU announced additional sanctions aimed at individuals and companies accused of helping Russia bypass existing restrictions on oil exports.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said President Putin remained open to serious peace discussions, while cautioning against what he described as short-term or symbolic arrangements.