KYIV, Ukraine — Security advisers from Ukraine’s key allies met in Kyiv on Monday to push a U.S.-brokered plan to end the war with Russia, days after Ukrainian officials said a draft agreement was “90%” complete.
Senior officials from Britain, France and Germany, as well as representatives of NATO and the European Union, joined the talks, the first in a planned series this month. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff participated virtually, a Ukrainian official said. A follow-up meeting of European leaders is expected in France on Tuesday, according to Kyiv.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the discussions centered on security guarantees, economic arrangements and the sequencing of steps in a potential peace framework. He said Ukraine hopes to prepare for a leaders’ summit in the United States by the end of January to consider proposals on ending the war.
“And after that … we will be preparing for a meeting in the United States at the leadership level. We would like all of this to happen in January, by the end of January,” Zelensky said. He added that if diplomacy stalls, Ukraine will continue to fight. “If Russia blocks all of this … if our partners do not compel Russia to stop the war, there will be another path: to defend ourselves.”
The renewed diplomatic push comes amid continued strikes and battlefield pressure. A woman and a 3-year-old child were killed late Sunday in a missile strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, the regional governor said. On Monday, shelling in the Kyiv-held part of southern Kherson region left two people dead, local authorities reported.
Russia accused Ukraine of firing drones at a hotel and cafe in the Moscow-occupied part of Kherson region on Thursday, saying 28 people were killed during New Year celebrations. Ukraine said the site hosted a military gathering. Moscow also claimed Ukraine launched drones at a residence of President Vladimir Putin in an unsuccessful attack; Kyiv denied the allegation. The Wall Street Journal later reported that U.S. national security officials concluded Ukraine did not target Putin or one of his residences in a drone strike.
An AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War said Russia made larger territorial gains last year than in any year since its full-scale invasion began in 2022. As 2026 opened, Zelensky announced sweeping personnel changes, naming a new chief of staff and defense minister and signaling plans to replace several regional leaders.
Monday’s Kyiv meeting unfolded as a separate geopolitical crisis loomed. Proceedings were overshadowed by fast-moving developments in Venezuela, where former U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort that he was “not thrilled with Putin” over the war in Ukraine and discussed what he described as an overnight U.S. military operation in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Those claims could not be independently verified. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was “extremely concerned” by reports that Maduro and his wife were removed from the country and called for their immediate release.
Trump said he did not discuss Maduro with Putin during a phone call on Monday ahead of a meeting with Zelensky in Palm Beach. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Maduro had rejected multiple chances to flee the country, and some earlier reports suggested he could have headed to Russia or allied states.
Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, calling it a “special military operation” to block NATO’s expansion — a claim Kyiv rejects. With Russia still occupying about 20% of Ukrainian territory and demanding control of the Donbas as part of any deal, Kyiv insists it will not accept a settlement that rewards aggression or fails to deter future attacks.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
