Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting of Ukrainian and European national security advisors, Kyiv, January 3, 2026

Saturday’s Coverage: Zelensky’s “Substantial Overhaul” of Government

UPDATE 1008 GMT:

Four civilians have been murdered and at least five injured by Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 39 of 52 drones. The other 13 struck nine locations.

In the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, two civilians were killed and two injured amid attacks on 31 settlements, including Kherson city.

In the Sumy region in the northeast, a 52-year-old man was killed by a first-person-view drone. In the neighboring Donetsk region, one person was slain in Sloviansk.

Casualties were also reported in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: President Volodymyr Zelensky says security guarantees for Ukraine must include foreign troops inside the country.

Zelensky emphasized that forces from France and UK are essential to deter another Russian invasion or aerial attacks.

His comments came amid meetings of national security advisors, attended by the President, from Ukraine and European partners. US officials attended virtually.

Zelensky summarized:

Undoubtedly, the [military] presence is important to us. And undoubtedly, not everyone is ready for this….But the presence is one of the important factors, and even the existence of the Coalition of the Willing depends on whether they are ready to step up their presence.

He noted that some coalition members might refrain from sending troops, but underscored that there are minimum requirements.

Zelensky posted an extract of his remarks to the national security advisors laying out the path forward: a meeting of military commanders on Monday, followed by a leaders summit in Paris on Tuesday.

“After these contacts, we expect a productive joint meeting with representatives of the United States,” he said.

Now we have a new wave, a new chance to finish this war. And we are thankful that on the diplomatic path, we are also not alone. I thank our partner states and their leaders for their consistent support for our country.

Zelensky emphasized, “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.