European advisers arrive in Kyiv for work on security, and peace plan It comes as Russia largely withdraws from Kyiv’s 20-point plan Volodymyr Zelenskyy appoints new chief of staff in critical moment
Follow the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on Saturday, January 3, 2026:
European national security advisers arrive in Kyiv
Ukraine is set to host security advisers from several countries, along with representatives from the European Union, NATO and the United States.
“National security advisors from European countries have arrived in Kyiv,” Ukrainian National Security Secretary Rustem Umerov posted to Telegram.
“A busy working day lies ahead: security and economic issues, work on framework documents, coordination of further steps with partners,” he said,
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said Ukraine would like troops on the ground and that he was discussing the matter with the US and the “coalition of the willing,” but it was up to those countries to decide.
Kyiv’s allies in the “coalition of the willing” are set to convene for talks in Paris on January 5-6.
Russia largely withdraws from US talks
Russian authorities said they would toughen their stance in talks on ending the war after accusing Kyiv of attacking a Russian presidential palace.
President Donald Trump was briefed by the CIA director earlier this week and told that the US intelligence assessment found no evidence of an attack against Putin’s residence in the country’s north.
Russian authorities also said a Ukrainian drone strike in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, where at least 100 civilians were celebrating New Year’s Eve overnight into Thursday, killed 27 people.
Kyiv denied attacking civilian targets.
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We’re looking at a meeting set to be hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv with security advisers from Europe and the United States.
Zelenskyy has been trying to push a 20-point plan to halt Russia’s nearly four-year-long war in Ukraine, but sticking points like territorial concessions remain.
Russia has largely withdrawn from those talks and opposes Ukraine’s post-war military build-up.
On that front, Zelenskyy appointed a new chief of staff, filling a weekslong vacancy left by Andriy Yermak, who resigned in November amid a corruption investigation.
On Friday, Russian missiles struck a multi-story apartment building in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, injuring at least 25 people, officials said.
But Russia denied that an attack had taken place.
We’ll cover the latest here.