Ukraine War

U.S. envoys in Berlin promoted a "very, very strong" Article Five‑like security package — described as NATO‑style, with oversight and deconfliction mechanisms and intended for Senate backing — while Ukraine signaled it could drop its NATO bid for legally binding guarantees even as sharp disagreements remain over territorial concessions (U.S. drafts envision Ukraine withdrawing from roughly 14% of Donbas into a demilitarized free‑economic zone). Negotiators reported progress but not resolution on maps, a BlackRock pro‑bono team coordinating with the World Bank has formed to plan financing and reconstruction, and intense Russian strikes on Odesa and mass power outages underscored the urgency of talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Dec. 12 visited frontline Kupiansk in Kharkiv region and posted video from the city, weeks after Russia’s military claimed it had seized control. The visit comes ahead of Berlin talks Sunday with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on security guarantees and broader peace terms, as Germany’s chancellor and NATO’s secretary general warned that any cease-fire must include firm guarantees and that Russia could threaten NATO within five years.