Overview
- National security advisers from a Coalition of the Willing gathered in Kyiv on Jan. 3 for talks on peace proposals and security guarantees.
- Ukraine’s Rustem Umerov said the agenda centers on security and economic issues, work on framework documents, and coordination of next steps with partners.
- A concept described by Ukrainian negotiator Oleksandr Bevz envisions Ukrainian forces as the first line of defense, European-led troops deployed in Ukraine, and American backstop support.
- Delegations include Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, the Baltic states, Poland, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, plus NATO, the European Council, and the European Commission.
- No breakthrough was reported from the Kyiv session, with a leaders’ meeting scheduled in Paris on Tuesday as Russian strikes continue to hit Kharkiv and Mykolaiv.