Overview
- Rustem Umerov said he and Hakan Fidan discussed the security situation, negotiation progress, next steps, the humanitarian track, and the return of Ukrainian people during talks in Ankara.
- Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Umerov is working to resume prisoner exchanges in the new year, with engagements expanding to Turkish intelligence.
- Zelensky announced a January 3 meeting in Ukraine of national security advisers from Coalition partners, with 15 countries confirmed alongside EU and NATO representatives and the U.S. team joining online.
- He said military chiefs will meet on January 5 and Coalition leaders will convene January 6 in Paris to finalize national contributions to security guarantees, reflecting progress flagged by Emmanuel Macron.
- The Ankara outreach follows Zelensky’s December 29 talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida, where they reported significant results on a peace framework and planned team-level work to finalize guarantees.