Berlin, December 15 (QNA) – Berlin hosted an expanded meeting on Monday with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President's Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and a number of European leaders and officials. This marked the start of the official round of negotiations related to the US peace plan to end the war in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian delegation presented the US side with a detailed proposal addressing the terms of a ceasefire, future security arrangements, and the path for aid and reconstruction.

For his part, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul revealed that there was some uncertainty surrounding the behind-closed-doors talks on the US plan aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine. He ruled out reaching a solution to the Ukrainian-Russian crisis before the end of the week but emphasized the importance of these talks.

He also stressed that reaching a ceasefire was logical and necessary, adding that what was even more important was reaching a sustainable and lasting solution, describing the talks as "essential." Talks on Ukraine continued in Berlin for a second day, focusing on the country's post-war security situation.

Zelenskyy expressed his country's willingness to forgo insisting on NATO membership if it received strong and binding security guarantees from its Western partners. He emphasized that any political settlement could not be based on unilateral concessions to Russia or on legitimizing the forceful occupation of Ukrainian territory.

This round of talks follows a series of preliminary discussions held over the weekend in Berlin. Yesterday, Sunday, saw a lengthy meeting between Zelenskyy, Witkoff, and several senior advisors, described as "the most serious stage of the discussions so far." (QNA)