Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Kyiv is prepared to abandon its long-standing goal of joining NATO in exchange for security guarantees from the United States and European allies, marking a notable shift in Ukraine's position aimed at advancing efforts to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Zelenskyy made the remarks ahead of talks in Berlin on Sunday with U.S. representatives, including President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been urging Ukraine to accept a White House-backed plan to resolve the conflict.

Ukraine has acknowledged that NATO membership is unlikely in the foreseeable future due to strong opposition from Russia, which has demanded that the alliance halt its eastward expansion as a precondition for ending the conflict.

Despite dropping its NATO demands, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine still requires robust security guarantees. Speaking to journalists via WhatsApp, he said, "We are talking about bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States – namely, Article 5 – like guarantees . . . as well as security guarantees for us from our European partners and from other countries such as Canada, Japan and others," adding that "this is already a compromise on our part."

On territorial issues, Zelenskyy said he is willing to engage in dialogue during the Berlin talks. He suggested that maintaining current front lines under a ceasefire could be the "fairest possible option," while acknowledging that Russia may not view such a proposal positively. He added that he hoped the United States would support Ukraine's position.

Earlier this week, Kyiv submitted a revised proposal to Washington following consultations with European leaders. Zelenskyy said Ukraine has not yet received a response from the U.S. but stressed that he was ready to engage in discussions.

Meanwhile, fighting continued on the ground. Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its air defenses had shot down four guided aerial bombs and 290 fixed-wing drones in the past 24 hours.

The ministry also said Russian forces struck fuel depots and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian troops and foreign fighters at 142 locations, claiming control of the village of Varvarovka in the Zaporizhzhia region, while continuing to push deeper into Ukrainian defenses.