Today, Dec. 14, witnessed a five-hour session in Germany conducted by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, accompanied by Jared Kushner, with Ukraine’s acting president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Of special note was that Zelenskyy was not accompanied by his European enablers. Witkoff said that “in-depth discussions” were held on the peace plan, on “economic agendas, and more.” He posted on X that “a lot of progress was made, and they will meet again tomorrow morning.”
The meeting was in Berlin’s Chancellery, where on the evening of Dec. 15 Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to host a dinner, and where the “Coalition of the Willing” is to be brought in—heads of state, with NATO and EU chiefs. Merz posted on Dec. 14: “We want a lasting peace in Ukraine. Difficult questions lie ahead of us, but we are determined to move forward. Ukrainian interests are also European interests.” Witkoff will have to make substantial progress tomorrow morning if he expects anything worthwhile to survive the evening invasion of the Europeans.”