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Poland’s Tusk praises Western unity after Berlin talks on peace in Ukraine

15.12.2025 23:30
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday that the United States, Europe and Ukraine showed an unprecedented level of unity toward Russia during talks in Berlin, arguing that only a united West can pressure Moscow into serious negotiations to end the war.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Speaking after a meeting of European leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoys, Tusk said the alignment among Washington, European capitals and Kyiv was clearer than ever.

“It is a fact that perhaps for the first time it was so clearly visible that the Americans, Europeans and Ukraine are on the same page,” Tusk told reporters.

European leaders said in a joint statement after the talks that security guarantees for Ukraine should include a Europe-led military mission supported by Washington and involving willing countries.

The leaders also said they welcomed a "strong convergence of positions" among the United States, Europe and Ukraine.

Tusk said a unified Western front was the only realistic way to persuade Russia to engage seriously in talks on ending the war or reaching a ceasefire.

“It is essential that together with the Americans and Ukrainians we act as allies, so that Russia and President Vladimir Putin see that it is impossible to drive a wedge between these three sides,” he said.

He cautioned that progress so far represented a prerequisite for meaningful negotiations, not a breakthrough.

Tusk told reporters that US readiness to take part in security guarantees for Ukraine was significant, adding that such guarantees would also strengthen Poland’s security, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

“Ukraine facing renewed aggression would mean a major risk for Poland and other countries close to the front line," he warned.

Tusk said the most difficult unresolved issue remained potential territorial concessions by Ukraine, stressing that Poland would not pressure Kyiv and that any decision must be made solely by Ukrainians.

“Our task is to support Ukraine in these negotiations so there can be no talk of a Russian triumph,” he said.

Tusk reiterated that Poland would focus on securing NATO’s eastern flank and serving as a logistical hub for Ukraine, including through ports and transport routes. He said Poland would not deploy troops to join an international force in Ukraine.

Asked whether the proposed security guarantees resembled NATO’s Article 5 mutual defence clause, Tusk said that US negotiators had made clear that any renewed Russian attack would prompt a military response.

“In that sense it resembles Article 5, but I would not refer to it directly,” he said.

Tusk said there was still no agreement on using frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine, noting sharp differences between European and US positions.

He added that a ceasefire before Christmas appeared unlikely, saying Russia did not seem genuinely interested in peace talks.

Monday's talks in Berlin followed two days of negotiations between Ukrainian and US delegations. US President Donald Trump joined the leaders by phone during the talks.

Deal to end Ukraine war closer after Berlin talks: Trump

Trump said on Monday that an agreement aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine is closer than ever, citing progress reported by his envoys after the high-level talks in Berlin with Ukrainian and European leaders.

"I think we’re closer now than we have been ever," Trump said.

He spoke after calling into a dinner in Berlin attended by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were holding talks with Zelensky and European leaders, according to Reuters.

Ceasefire in sight: German chancellor

Germany's Merz said after the talks that a ceasefire in Ukraine was in sight for the first time since the start of Russia's invasion.

"For the first time since the war began, the possibility of a ceasefire is conceivable," he wrote in a post on X.

"We want to walk the path to peace together, with the Ukrainians, our European neighbours and the US," he added.

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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters