KYIV/MOSCOW – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukraine needs permanent security guarantees, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.
Zelensky told a press conference that Ukrainian and US officials will soon hold discussions on security guarantees and the recovery package for Ukraine, noting that the agreements could be signed during the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.
He emphasized that currently, Ukraine requires a steady supply of missiles for its air defense systems to protect itself.
Until Friday, several air defense systems in the country had been without missiles, but Ukraine received a new missile package in the morning of the same day, said Zelensky.
Next round of talks
Ukrainian and US teams will hold another round of negotiations on Jan 17 in Miami, Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna announced on Friday.
The delegations are expected to refine agreements on security guarantees and Ukraine’s economic prosperity, which could be signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week, according to Stefanishyna’s post on X.
The Ukrainian delegation includes head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov, and Chairman of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction David Arakhamia.
The latest round of negotiations between the Ukrainian and US delegations took place last month.
Political and diplomatic track
Russia values and welcomes the United States’ efforts to steer the resolution of the Ukraine conflict onto a political and diplomatic track, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
“Washington’s efforts to channel the Ukraine settlement into a political and diplomatic framework align with Russia’s interests, and we value such endeavors,” he said.
Frontline settlements
The Russian Armed Forces took control of five populated settlements in the special military operation zone over the past week, including two in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
Zakotnoye (also known as Zakitne) in the Donetsk region and Zhovtnevoye in the Zaporizhzhia region came under the control of Russian forces over the past day, the ministry added.
Russian air defense systems additionally shot down 31 guided aerial bombs, 21 US-made HIMARS rockets, three long-range Neptune cruise missiles and 1,138 fixed-wing drones over the past week, according to a statement of the ministry.
During the same period, the Russian Armed Forces carried out one massive strike and six group strikes against Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, energy facilities supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and infrastructure linked to Ukrainian militants.