Ukraine is set to host security advisers from approximately 15 countries, alongside representatives from the European Union and NATO, in critical talks in Kyiv on Saturday. A United States delegation will participate via video link as negotiations intensify toward a potential resolution. The discussions precede a higher-level summit in France next week involving leaders from the coalition supporting Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that a US-brokered peace plan is roughly 90 percent complete, though significant territorial disputes persist. Russia currently occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and has maintained relentless missile and drone attacks, causing thousands of civilian deaths and displacing millions. Kyiv accuses Moscow of feigning interest in diplomacy while pursuing further territorial gains.
Russia captured over 5,600 square kilometers of Ukrainian land in 2025—the largest annual advance since the 2022 invasion—according to analyses from the Institute for the Study of War. Moscow condemned a Ukrainian strike on a Kherson hotel that killed 28 New Year's celebrants as a deliberate sabotage of peace efforts, threatening retaliation. Ukraine countered that the target was a military gathering inaccessible to civilians.
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Amid ongoing hostilities, Ukrainian authorities evacuated more than 3,000 children and parents from frontline areas in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions due to Russian advances. Separate attacks in Kharkiv claimed additional lives, including a young child. The proposed framework reportedly involves Ukraine relinquishing parts of the Donbas and forgoing NATO membership, with Kyiv securing concessions against formal recognition of Russian-seized lands.
In preparation for upcoming diplomacy, Zelensky reshuffled key positions, nominating Digital Transformation Minister Mikhailo Fedorov as defence minister and appointing intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov to lead the presidential office. These changes follow the resignation of longtime ally Andriy Yermak amid a corruption investigation, signaling a heightened focus on security and negotiation capabilities.
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