Germany would be hosting the US and Ukrainian delegations in Germany over the weekend for talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine, before a summit with European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Monday, said a German official to Reuters. A US official noted that US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner will also be travelling to Germany to join the talks involving Ukrainians and Europeans.
The sending of Witkoff, who was also involved in the negotiation of a peace proposal between Russia and Ukraine, appears to be a signal that Washington saw a chance of progress after nearly 4 years of Russia’s invasions since the 2022 invasion.
The White House had said on Thursday that Trump would be sending an official for the talks only if he felt that there was enough progress to be made.
Support for Ceasefire in Ukraine from the European Allies
A German government source said on Saturday that “talks on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine are taking place in Berlin this weekend between foreign policy advisors from, among others, the U.S. and Ukraine,” said the source when asked about the meetings.
On Monday, Merz is hosting Zelensky and European leaders for a summit in Berlin, the latest in a series of public shows of support for the Ukrainian leader from allies all across Europe as Kyiv faces pressure from Washington in order to sign up for a peace plan that initially backed Moscow’s main demands.
For the last few weeks, Britain, France, and Germany have been working to refine the US proposals, which, in a draft disclosed last month, called for Kyiv to cede more territory, abandon its ambition to join NATO, and accept limits on its armed forces. On Saturday, Merz said in a speech that Europe had to brace for a fundamental shift in its relations with the US while facing a growing threat from Russia.
Blackouts in Odesa
The European Union has sought to shore up Ukraine’s position by leveraging frozen assets at the central bank to fund Kyiv’s military and civilian budget. Meanwhile, Ukraine has battled to contain Russia’s advances on the battlefield and the constant bombardment of its energy and water supplies going into winter.
The port city of Odesa, located on the southern Black Sea, and the region surrounding it suffered blackouts on Saturday after a large missile and a drone hit the electricity grid, leaving more than a million households without power, said officials.
Russia attacked two ports on Friday, which damaged three Turkish-owned vessels, including a ship carrying food supplies, reported Ukrainian officials, and one of the shipowners recounted days after Moscow threatened to cut Ukraine off from the sea.
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