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'Shuttle diplomat' Stubb emerges as key mediator in US-Ukraine talks in Berlin — media

Bild noted that the Finnish president maintains close ties with US President Donald Trump and is therefore acting as a mediator between the United States on one side and Europe and Ukraine on the other

BERLIN, December 15. /TASS/. Finnish President Alexander Stubb is acting as a "shuttle diplomat" in negotiations between the United States and Ukraine in Berlin, Bild reported.

According to the newspaper, at 9:16 a.m. local time (8:16 a.m. GMT), Stubb left the lobby of the Adlon Hotel in central Berlin and traveled in a German Foreign Ministry vehicle to the nearby Marriott Hotel, located about 600 meters away, where Vladimir Zelensky is staying. He spent about an hour there before returning to the Adlon at 10:16 a.m. (9:16 a.m. GMT) to meet with the US delegation. Bild noted that the Finnish president maintains close ties with US President Donald Trump and is therefore acting as a mediator between the United States on one side and Europe and Ukraine on the other.

The German newspaper also reported that a number of senior US military officials had gathered in the Adlon lobby, including Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexus Grynkewich.

On December 14, a meeting between US and Ukrainian delegations on resolving the conflict in Ukraine was held in Berlin at the German Federal Chancellery. The US delegation included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner, while the Ukrainian delegation comprised Vladimir Zelensky, Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the General Staff Andrey Gnatov.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz left the negotiating room after delivering a brief welcome address.

The negotiations are set to continue on Monday. According to Bild, Catholic Christmas on December 25 has been set as the new deadline for a potential agreement.

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Ukraine crisis United States

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