Zelenskyy meets with Kupiansk frontline troops ahead of Berlin security talks
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the border town of Kupiansk on Friday, just weeks after Russia claimed its forces had taken control of it.
In a video posted on X, Zelenskyy is seen wearing a bulletproof vest and speaking in front of a heavily damaged Cyrillic sign reading “Kupiansk.”
“Today I am in the Kupiansk sector, with our warriors here doing the work for Ukraine,” he said. “The Russians continued to talk about Kupiansk – the reality speaks for itself. I visited our troops and congratulated them.”
Russian state media TASS reported in November that Russian forces had “liberated” the town of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, citing a briefing by Valery Gerasimov, chief of staff of the Russian armed forces, to President Vladimir Putin.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy records a video in front of a sign reading “Kupiansk” in the front-line city of Kharkiv region, December 12, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Zelensky’s visit comes as he and his team of negotiators prepare for a new round of talks Sunday in Berlin with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
He is also expected to talk with European leaders about a broader political deal to end the war and ensure Ukraine’s long-term security, as well as plans to support the country’s post-war recovery and development.
“We are focused on how to reliably guarantee the security of Ukraine so that the experience of the Budapest Memorandum and the Russian invasion never happens again. We are counting on constructive negotiations,” Zelensky said on X.
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Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffins of their fallen comrades Roman Kolodiy, Taras Sovhan or Roman Kashuba during a funeral ceremony January 4, 2025 in Lviv, Ukraine. (Michael Sorrow/Anadolu via Getty Images)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that any lasting ceasefire in Ukraine must include firm guarantees and protect European security interests, warning that peace cannot be achieved at the expense of the EU or NATO or without their participation.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte echoed those concerns last week, warning members of the transatlantic alliance that they could be Russia’s next target.
Rutte, speaking before Bavarian state representation at a security conference in Munich, Germany, told attendees that increased defense spending was not the time to congratulate themselves as Russia continues its large-scale attacks on Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte hold a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, December 11, 2025. (Liesa Johannsen/Reuters)
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“I fear that too many people are quietly complacent. Too many people do not sense the urgency. And too many people believe that time is on our side. It is not. Now is the time to act,” he said.
The NATO chief urged allies to increase their defense spending and production, saying their armed forces must have the resources to protect their countries, and warning that Moscow could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.
