Zelenskyy meets front-line troops in Kupiansk ahead of Berlin security talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the frontline town of Kupiansk on Friday, just weeks after Russia said its forces had taken control.

In a video posted to X, Zelenskyy is seen wearing a flak jacket and speaking in front of a badly damaged sign in Cyrillic that reads “Kupiansk.”

“Today, I am in the sector of Kupianskwith our warriors doing work for Ukraine here,” he said. “The Russians continued on 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 the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, to President Vladimir Putin.

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Zelenskyy’s visit comes as he and his negotiating team prepare for a new round of discussions Sunday in Berlin with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.

It is also expected to hold discussions with European leaders on a broader political agreement to end the war and ensure long-term security for Ukraine, 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 invasion of Russia are never repeated. We are counting on constructive discussions,” said Zelenskyy in X.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that any sustainable 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 at the State Representation of Bavaria during an event of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, told participants that the increase in defense spending was not a moment for self-congratulation as Russia continues its large-scale attacks on Ukraine.

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“I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many do not feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now,” he said.

The head of NATO urged the allies to push defense spending and production, saying that their armed forces must have the necessary resources to protect their homelands, and warning that Moscow could be ready to use military force against NATO in five years.