U.S.-Ukrainian Delegations Meet Before Berlin Summit to Discuss Ceasefire

Reuters, Berlin, Dec. 13, Saturday: A German official said that Germany will host U.S. and Ukrainian delegations over the weekend to discuss the issue of a ceasefire in Ukraine, followed by a summit in Berlin on Monday with European leaders and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

Reuters reported citing an American official that President Trump's envoy Witkov and his son-in-law Kushner will travel to Germany to attend talks between Ukraine and European parties.

Witkov has previously led negotiations on U.S. peace proposals with Ukraine and Russia. Sending him to the meeting seems to indicate that Washington believes that after nearly four years of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there is hope for progress in the peace process.

The White House had previously stated that Trump would only send officials to meetings if he believed there was sufficient progress.

European Allies' Support for Ukraine

A German government source said on Saturday when asked about the meeting: "This weekend, foreign policy advisors from the U.S., Ukraine, and other countries will meet in Berlin to discuss possible ceasefire issues in Ukraine."

Next Monday, German Chancellor Scholz will host a summit between Zelenskyy and European leaders in Berlin, which is one of a series of public events recently held by European allies to support the Ukrainian leader. Currently, Kyiv is facing pressure from Washington to accept a peace plan that initially supports Moscow's main demands.

Over the past few weeks, the UK, France, and Germany have been revising the U.S. proposal. In a draft revealed last month, it required Kyiv to cede more territory, abandon its intention to join NATO, and accept restrictions on its armed forces.

Scholz said in a speech on Saturday that Europe must prepare for a fundamental shift in relations with the United States while facing the growing threat from Russia.

"The era of 'Pax Americana' that we Europeans, especially Germans, once enjoyed has basically ended and is no longer what we knew. Longing for the past cannot change this," he said at a party conference in the southern city of Munich, "Americans are now very, very actively pursuing their own interests. This can only mean one thing: we also must pursue our own interests."

Attack Causes Major Power Outage in Odessa

Currently, the EU is trying to use frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Ukraine's military and civilian budgets to strengthen Ukraine's position.

At the same time, Ukraine is struggling to contain Russia's advances on the battlefield and faces frequent bombings of its energy and water supply facilities by Russia, especially as winter approaches.

On Saturday, the Black Sea port city of Odessa and surrounding areas suffered a large-scale missile and drone attack, damaging the power grid and causing over 100,000 households to lose electricity.

Erdogan: "Peace Is Near"

Turkish President Erdogan said after meeting with Russian President Putin on Friday that "peace is near" and hoped to discuss the peace plan with Trump.

Erdogan told Putin on Friday that limited ceasefires targeting energy facilities and ports during the war could be beneficial.

On Saturday, Erdogan issued a statement through his office saying, "The Black Sea should not be seen as a battlefield. This situation will only harm Russia and Ukraine."

Ukrainian officials and a ship owner said that Russia attacked two Ukrainian ports on Friday, damaging three Turkish-owned vessels, including one carrying food. Previously, Moscow had threatened to cut off Ukraine's sea routes.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1851438086667335/

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