Security advisers from Ukraine's top allies met in Kyiv today for talks on a US-brokered plan to end the war with Russia, days after Kyiv announced a deal was "90%" ready.
Officials from countries including Britain, France and Germany, as well as representatives from NATO and the European Union, joined the meeting, the first of several planned for the new year.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff also joined virtually, a Ukrainian official said, though the United States' large-scale military attack on Venezuela earlier in the day overshadowed proceedings.
A follow-up summit of European leaders was expected to take place in France on Tuesday, according to Ukraine.
"National security advisers from European countries have arrived in Kyiv," Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said in a post on Telegram. He announced in a later post that the meeting had started.
"The first part of the meeting focused on framework documents, including security guarantees and approaches to the peace plan, as well as the sequence of further joint steps," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine hoped for a leaders' summit in the United States by the end of January to discuss proposals on how to end the war with Russia.
Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine and national security advisors discussed security guarantees, economic agreements, and sequencing plans. Next week, the talks will continue during a European leaders' meeting in Paris and then with US negotiators.
"And after that... we will be preparing for a meeting in the United States at the leadership level. We would like all of this to happen in January, by the end of January," Mr Zelensky said.
Diplomatic efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent weeks, though both Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement.
Russia, which occupies around 20% of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the country's eastern Donbas region as part of a deal.
But Kyiv has warned ceding ground will embolden Moscow and said it will not sign a peace deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again.
Speaking at a press conference this evening, Mr Zelensky said that if diplomacy to end the war failed, his country would continue to defend itself.
"If Russia blocks all of this - and as I said, it depends on our partners - if our partners do not compel Russia to stop the war, there will be another path: to defend ourselves," he said.
Deadly strikes
Today's meeting capped a week marked by deadly strikes, as well as a Russian claim - denied by Ukraine - that Kyiv had launched drones at a residence of President Vladimir Putin in an unsuccessful attack.
Russia accused Kyiv of firing drones at a hotel and cafe in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region early Thursday, killing what it said were 28 people celebrating the New Year. Ukraine says it was a military gathering.
A woman and three-year-old child died in a Russian missile strike on Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv late yesterday, according to the region's governor.
And today, Russian bombardment of a Kyiv-held part of the southern Kherson region left two people dead, according to the region's governor.
Russia made bigger advances on the battlefield last year than in any other year since it launched its invasion in 2022, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.
As the year kicked off, Mr Zelensky announced sweeping changes to his top circle, naming a new chief of staff and defence minister yesterday while announcing plans today to replace several regional leaders.
Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a "special military operation" to prevent the expansion of NATO - a war aim that Kyiv has called a lie.
Moscow has since fired on Ukrainian towns and cities in daily drone and missile attacks while waging battles that have reduced entire urban areas to rubble.
Trump 'not thrilled' with Putin over war in Ukraine
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said he was frustrated with Mr Putin over the continued war in Ukraine, repeating that he had initially believed that ending the war would be easy. "I'm not thrilled with Putin. He's killing too many people," Mr Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, during a press conference to discuss the overnight US military operation in Venezuela and capture of its President Nicolas Maduro.
Mr Trump said he did not discuss Mr Maduro with Mr Putin when the two leaders spoke by telephone for over two hours on Monday, shortly before the US president met with Mr Zelensky in Palm Beach.
"We never spoke about Maduro," Mr Trump said when asked if he and Mr Putin had discussed the Venezuelan leader.
Russia's foreign ministry said it was extremely concerned by reports that Mr Maduro and his wife had been removed from the country during "aggressive actions" by the United States, and called for the pair's immediate release.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Mr Maduro had rejected multiple chances to flee the country, and some reports suggested weeks ago that he could have headed to Russia or closely allied states.
Mr Trump on Monday initially expressed sympathy for Russian allegations that Ukrainian drones attacked one of Mr Putin's residences. He later appeared more sceptical and shared a NewYork Post editorial accusing Russia of blocking peace in Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal later reported that US national security officials had found Ukraine did not target Mr Putin or one of his residences in a drone strike.
Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration about the lack of progress toward ending the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022, focusing heavily on what he calls tens of thousands of troops being killed on both sides.
