Overview
- Security advisers from 15 European countries, NATO and EU met in Kyiv, with Ukraine’s NSDC chief Rustem Umerov saying about 90% of the peace plan is agreed and a leaders’ session will be held in Paris on 6 January after chiefs of general staff meet on 5 January.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed preparations to enable deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine in the initial days following any ceasefire, according to a British government readout.
- The General Staff reported 191 combat engagements on 3 January, with the fiercest fighting on the Pokrovsk and Huliaipole axes, as Russian forces pressed attacks across multiple sectors.
- Zelensky said Ukraine is prepared to organize elections during wartime to demonstrate willingness to compromise on the diplomatic track, and a working group is drafting rules for voting under martial law.
- In a separate global shock, President Donald Trump said the United States carried out a large-scale operation in Venezuela and claimed Nicolás Maduro was detained, as Caracas requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting and allies and adversaries issued reactions.