By Andreas Rinke and Matthias Williams BERLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will resume talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys in Berlin on Monday, after the U.S.

Ukraine has relinquished its ambition of joining the NATO military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of talks with U.S. envoys in Berlin.

Ukraine and the US are due to hold a second day of talks in Berlin on a plan aimed at ending Russia’s war, with allied security guarantees for Kyiv a central focus of the negotiations.

European leaders are expected to cement support for Ukraine as it faces Washington’s pressure to swiftly accept a U.S.-brokered peace deal.

By Jessica DiNapoli NEW YORK, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine’s offer to forgo joining the NATO military alliance probably will not significantly change the course of peace talks, two security experts said on Sunday.

Ukraine and Russia are "closer to peace" than at any time in almost four years, it has been claimed – though a top European leader still warned againt Vladimir Putin's plans to take on the West. Sir Keir Starmer today joins emergency talks in Berlin aimed at ending the debilitating war.

A drone attack in Russia's Saratov region has killed at least two people and damaged a residential building. Local authorities reported the incident on Saturday.

Much of Ukraine’s largest Black Sea port was without power, heat and water on Saturday after strikes from Russia, which has shown little appetite for a deal to end the war.

Amid Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv would accept legally binding security guarantees from the United States and other European Nations.

Choice to send Steve Witkoff highlights Washington's growing urgency to bridge remaining gaps with Kyiv over plan's terms