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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a post on X a series of important meetings and diplomatic proceedings in early January aimed at bringing the war in his embattled country, well into its fourth year, to an end.
Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is maintaining contact with a slew of key partners, from the US and across Europe, as Kyiv looks to prepare new formats and host meetings in the coming days.
The first such meeting is scheduled to take place on Saturday, where Ukraine’s national security advisors and cabinet members are expected to hold talks. The meeting will also be attended by European representatives, as well as US officials via video link.
“On January 3, a meeting of national security advisors will take place in Ukraine. This is the first such meeting in Ukraine and it is focused on peace,” wrote Zelenskyy on X.
“European representatives will attend, and we expect the American team to join online. Fifteen countries have confirmed their participation, along with representatives of European institutions and NATO.”
Just two days later, Kyiv plans to hold another local meeting involving high-level defence and military officials, to discuss the issue of security guarantees in the event of any potential peace agreement to end the war materialises.
“Next, on January 5, there will be a meeting of the military – chiefs of general staff. The main issue is security guarantees for Ukraine,” announced Zelenskyy.
“Politically, almost everything is ready, and it is important to work through every detail of how the guarantees will function in the air, on land, and at sea – if we succeed in ending the war. And this is the key goal for all normal people.”
The Ukrainian leader also added that the so-called Coalition of the Willing are planning to hold their first meeting of the year, at the leader-level, in France, as Europe looks to boost Ukraine’s defences against Russian attacks, as well as discuss strategy in ongoing peace talks.
“On January 6, a meeting at the leaders’ level will take place – European leaders and the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing,” said Zelenskyy.
“We are preparing now to ensure that the meeting is productive, that support increases, and that there is greater political confidence both in the security guarantees and in the peace agreement. I thank everyone who is helping us.”
The announcement came on the evening of New Year’s Day, amid continued Russian attacks across several Ukrainian regions, including the occupied eastern Donbas region, Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, Chernihiv and Kherson.
Zelenskyy says the Kremlin launched more than 200 drone attacks to “bring the war into the New Year”, targeting mainly civilian and energy infrastructure. He called on further support to ensure his country is equipped to continue defending itself and its people.
“The killings must be stopped – there can be no pauses in protecting human life. If the strikes do not stop even during the New Year holidays, then air defence deliveries cannot be delayed. Our allies have the necessary scarce equipment.”
Additional sources • AP