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Two influential individuals with close ties to President Trump are set to meet face-to-face with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and key European leaders as part of renewed efforts to advance a US-backed peace initiative aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Last month, the US rolled out a 28-point peace plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, but the proposal quickly faced strong backlash from Ukraine and its European allies due to its clearalignment with key Russian demands. The original plan included major concessions such as Ukraine ceding territory, reducing its military to a capped force of 600,000 troops, and abandoning its bid to join NATO. After intense diplomatic negotiations, the proposal was revised and condensed into a 19-point draft. The updated version, while still not publicly disclosed in full, is said to have removed or softened the most controversial elements by dropping the military cap and scrapping any general amnesty for war crimes. It now focuses more on security guarantees for Ukraine, mechanisms for de-escalation, and phased conflict resolution without immediate territorial concessions.

What’s going on now: The White House has confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner will lead a US delegation in Berlin for a high-stakes diplomatic meeting with President Zelensky and leaders from Germany, France, and the UK. The central focus of the talks is expected to be the structure of a potential demilitarized zone in eastern Donbas and the nature of the security guarantees Ukraine would receive from the US and its allies. While the US has floated a NATO-style Article 5 security assurance, Kyiv is pushing for these guarantees to be legally binding and ratified by Congress.

Ukraine, however, remains wary. President Zelensky has publicly stated that any decision involving territorial compromise must be approved by the Ukrainian people, either through a referendum or democratic elections which is logistically challenging amid ongoing war. Kyiv’s revised proposal offers a demilitarized economic zone instead of outright ceding land, aiming to preserve sovereignty while opening the door to compromise. Despite this, Russia continues to demand full control over Donetsk and Luhansk, including areas it has not conquered, creating a major sticking point in negotiations. Zelensky is also pressing for clear enforcement mechanisms that would trigger allied responses should Russia violate any agreement.

This all comes as President Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of progress. In recent comments, he called out Zelensky for stalling and accused European leaders of obstructing the process. According to administration insiders, Trump wants a framework wrapped up before the holidays and has tasked Kushner and Witkoff with making that happen.

This pressure has led European leaders to worry about being sidelined in what they see as a US-dominated negotiation process affecting their continent’s security. France, the UK, and Germany have reportedly advised Zelensky not to rush into any deal that might require giving up territory still under Ukrainian control.