Ukraine talks in Berlin: what's the deal?
Berlin is currently the main venue of the West's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky's talks with US negotiators at the Chancellery in the German capital will resume today. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has invited European, EU and NATO leaders to attend a meeting this evening. Europe's press takes a closer look.
Trump just wants a vic pic
A just peace deal is not currently possible, political analyst Kateryna Roshuk insists on Facebook:
“An adequate peace deal on which the US and Ukraine work and Russia pretends to work is not possible because all three want different things. Trump wants a photo of Zelensky and Putin shaking hands in the Oval Office after signing an agreement to end the war. The 'end of the ninth or tenth war' would pave the way in Trump's mind to Russian money and the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump doesn't care who signs what or what the fallout might be. ... Russia believes it has military successes on the front and the backing of the US (at least Trump is not interfering). Ukraine just wants to survive. ”
The continent needs a just peace
An unjust peace deal would be dangerous for Europe, Aamulehti warns:
“The United States and Russia in particular will have to make major concessions if the goal is to ensure that potential territorial concessions are off the table and that Ukraine can be granted watertight security guarantees. A scenario like this is still a pie in the sky. Europe is insisting that peace must be based on just and sustainable conditions. ... If Ukraine is forced into an unjust peace deal, the Russian President Putin will chalk it up as a victory. And that would constitute a huge risk for Europe's security.”
Back at the table at least
The Frankfurter Rundschau expects minor progress at most:
“Germany and the other EU states might be able to talk the US out of using frozen Russian assets for its own economic interests in Ukraine. ... They might even be able to get the US negotiators to see that Putin has imperialist ambitions. He does not think economically, which is why the American strategy of trying to lure him into making concessions with lucrative deals is not working. ... Kyiv's European allies can claim their first success. They are back at the table with Washington after being shut out of the talks between the US and Russia on Ukraine's future. This is good for self-confidence and helps boost Europe's battered image.”
Italy must pick a side
Meloni must stop sitting on the fence, demands former EU commissioner Paolo Gentiloni in La Repubblica:
“Italy, which was shut out of the meeting of the three leaders in London, needs to step up and make its intentions clear. ... But what will we say in Berlin? So far, the prime minister's line has been: we are working to promote harmony between Europe and the United States, seeking to reconcile our ideological affinity with Trump and our European identity. But she is obviously backing herself into a corner with this position. The situation could force Italy to take sides. Very soon.”