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European national security advisers arrived in Kyiv on Saturday for talks on the latest peace initiatives as a US-led diplomatic effort to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine gathers momentum. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet European leaders next week.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said in a post on X that the agenda includes discussions on security and economic matters, work on framework documents and coordination of next steps with international partners. He added that representatives from Canada and NATO are also participating alongside officials from various European countries and institutions.
According to Ukrainian negotiator Oleksandr Bevz, Kyiv is working closely with European partners on security guarantee arrangements. These plans would involve a multilateral framework under which Ukrainian forces serve as the first line of defence, supported by European-led troops stationed in Ukraine and US “backstop” assistance.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka said on Saturday that international partners have agreed on an economic support package worth about $800 billion for Ukraine over the coming decade.
The package, based on calculations by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and European Union, would cover damage compensation, reconstruction, economic stability and a $200 billion growth “booster” and is tied to Ukraine’s EU accession reforms.
Zelenskyy on Tuesday announced plans for meetings with officials from about 30 countries, dubbed the Coalition of the Willing, which support Kyiv’s effort to end the war with Russia on acceptable terms.
Saturday’s meeting of national security advisers from those countries will be followed by a meeting of the countries’ leaders on Tuesday in Paris.
Zelenskyy on Saturday proposed Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal to become the energy minister and first deputy prime minister.
Zelenskyy on Friday appointed the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence as his new chief of staff. The president framed the appointment of Gen. Kyrylo Budanov as part of an effort to sharpen the focus on security, defense development and diplomacy.
Meanwhile, the death toll from a Russian missile attack on the city of Kharkiv on Friday increased to two, including a 3-year-old boy, Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram on Saturday.
An overnight Russian drone attack on the Mykolaiv region targeted critical infrastructure and left some communities without electricity Saturday, according to regional head Vitalii Kim. He said engineers spent the night working to restore power and there were no casualties reported.
With inputs from agencies
