World

Washington [US], December 14: The United States is stepping up diplomatic efforts to bridge the differences surrounding a peace plan to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
According to Reuters, the White House confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump 's son-in- law, will travel to Berlin, Germany, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on December 14th. Witkoff will also meet with his counterparts from the UK, Germany, and France on December 14th and 15th.
Earlier, the German government announced it would host a conference with Mr. Zelensky, leaders of European countries, the European Union (EU), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on December 15.
Mr. Witkoff is the chief US negotiator in contacts with Russia and Ukraine regarding Washington's peace proposal. Sending Mr. Witkoff to Europe this time reflects the urgency, as the White House recently stated that President Trump would only send officials to the meeting if he felt sufficient progress had been made in the peace talks.
Ukraine has made new adjustments following the US's 28-point proposal. According to AFP, the latest proposal includes a provision for expedited accession to the EU, as early as January 2027. Ukraine has long desired to join the EU but has struggled to meet anti-corruption requirements. The accession process typically takes years and requires ratification from all 27 member states, some of which, notably Hungary, have long opposed Ukraine's accession.
On the other hand, the French presidential palace said on December 12 that Europe and Ukraine also want the US to provide security commitments before Kyiv negotiates on territorial issues.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper