BERLIN – On Monday, European leaders are anticipated to solidify their backing for Ukraine amidst pressure from Washington to promptly agree to a peace deal orchestrated by the U.S.

Following discussions in Berlin on Sunday between U.S. representatives and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, officials from Ukraine and Europe are gearing up for a series of strategic meetings. These discussions aim to fortify the continent’s peace and security amidst the mounting assertiveness of Russia.

President Zelenskyy met on Sunday with Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. The talks took place at the German chancellery, with hopes pinned on finding a resolution to the protracted conflict that has gripped the region for nearly four years.

For months, Washington has been striving to balance the differing demands of the involved parties, as President Trump pushes for a quick resolution to the conflict with Russia and shows growing frustration over ongoing delays. Efforts to find a middle ground have encountered significant hurdles, particularly concerning the control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, currently under substantial Russian occupation.

During Sunday’s meeting, President Zelenskyy expressed a willingness to abandon Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO if the U.S. and other Western allies provide Kyiv with security assurances comparable to those given to NATO members. Nonetheless, Ukraine remains steadfast in its refusal to concede territory to Russia, despite U.S. pressure to do so.

Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the part of the Donetsk region still under its control among the key conditions for peace.

The Russian president also has cast Ukraine’s bid to join NATO as a major threat to Moscow’s security and a reason for launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine renounce the bid for alliance membership as part of any prospective peace settlement.

Zelenskyy emphasized that any Western security assurances would need to be legally binding and supported by the U.S. Congress.

‘Pax Americana’ is over

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has spearheaded European efforts to support Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said Saturday that “the decades of the ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well.”

He warned that Putin’s aim is “a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders.”

“If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop,” Merz warned during a party conference in Munich.

Macron, meanwhile, vowed Sunday on social platform X that “France is, and will remain, at Ukraine’s side to build a robust and lasting peace — one that can guarantee Ukraine’s security and sovereignty, and that of Europe, over the long term.”

Putin has denied plans to attack any European allies.