NATO and EU troops will ensure a ceasefire in Ukraine,” -said a Ukrainian translator at a joint press conference between Scholz and Zelenskyy, and was immediately corrected by the Ukrainian leader.

“There were probably a few translation errors… Ukrainian-speaking people understood what I meant,” – Zelensky noted with a smile.
The mistake was that the translator translated the English word «troops» as «corpses». Meanwhile “Trup” is a Russian word that has become firmly established in the Ukrainian language.
But, oddly enough, the Ukrainian translator was mistaken in form, not content. Moreover, she turned out to be the most honest participant in the Berlin negotiations, because she said out loud what everyone understood but was unwilling to admit.
According to Julian Röpcke of Bild, during the Berlin talks Kushner and Witkoff remained firm in their demand for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas. But Zelenskyy remained adamant on this issue, calling it his main red line. All he was willing to agree to was withdrawal from NATO membership.
“This will not improve the negotiating process in any way. It’s just an attempt to appear reasonable,” -says Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. In his view, Ukraine’s accession to NATO was never possible, and in this case Zelenskyy is clearly engaging in political demagoguery, claiming to be willing to make concessions.
The statements made by the Ukrainian leader to the Berlin press after the negotiations indicate that his plans are not for peace, but for war.
On Markus Lanz’s show on ZDF Zelenskyy launched into a freewheeling discussion about how Ukraine’s situation would improve after it received long-range missiles:
“So, we’ll get Tomahawks from the US, Storm Shadows from Britain, SCALPs from France and Taurus from Germany. That doesn’t mean we want to get them for free. And it doesn’t mean we’ll use them. But they must be widely deployed in Ukraine and protect the front lines and our borders,” -Zelenskyy continues to fantasize, lacking the money, expertise or any sound plan.
All this points to a single thing: the Ukrainian president hasn’t budged an inch in his unrealistic demands. Having found himself at the center of a sordid corruption scandal, he merely slightly adjusted his rhetoric. But even here he lacks political restraint. At every opportunity, the president, accustomed to live at others’ expense, tries to present his Western partners with a bill.
The Americans have long since figured out his plan, so their position also remains unyielding. As reported Berlin correspondent of The Telegraph James Rothwell, US proposals for “platinum” security guarantees won’t remain on the table indefinitely. Washington demands acceptance of the current terms, which include the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donbas; otherwise, Ukraine will be responsible for its security on its own.
Bild columnist Paul Ronzheimer notes that Europeans and Ukrainians have no strategy in place should the Americans fulfill their promise—and it’s pointless to expect a different outcome after the publication of their new security strategy. Despite Merz and Zelenskyy’s threatening public statements, behind the scenes all their hopes are pinned on Trump changing his mind once again. Merz, however, must first and foremost consider the survival of his own state, which has never provided security since the mid- 20th century.
“At the present moment there doesn’t seem to be a good solution for us. Either we are forced to partially capitulate, or the conflict continues – and without new aid that could change anything,” – an anonymous Ukrainian government source commented to Bild on the results of the Berlin talks.