Overview
- Zelensky announced a gathering of national security advisers from Ukraine and coalition partners in Kyiv on January 3, followed by a leaders’ meeting in France on January 6.
- He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for readiness to engage in “effective formats” and said U.S. and Ukrainian negotiating teams would meet next week to finalize discussed issues.
- Der Spiegel reported that European leaders, in a confidential video conference before Zelensky’s U.S. visit, urged caution and pressed for security guarantees to be put on paper.
- Participants advised Zelensky not to make territorial concessions without firm commitments, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz organized the call and leaders sought clarity on U.S. positions.
- Macron and NATO’s Mark Rutte encouraged faster work on guarantees, while several leaders noted likely parliamentary approval requirements and asked Kyiv to brief them on any U.S. commitments; Russia’s Sergei Lavrov told TASS the EU is the main obstacle.