Ukraine updates: Trump says Putin 'killing too many people'

Following a meeting with European security advisors in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has given an update on the discussions on social media.

"I met with the national security advisors of the Coalition of the Willing member states," he wrote on X.

He said there had been 18 participants and that across three panels they had discussed the primary focus of "security guarantees, rebuilding, and a basic framework for a real peace."

Zelenskyy said that another meeting with European leaders would take place in Paris on January 6, with discussions expected with US counterparts following that.

"Now we have a new wave, a new chance to finish this war," he concluded. "And we are thankful that on the diplomatic path, we are also not alone."

US President Donald Trump has said he is not happy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he is killing too many people.

"I'm not thrilled with Putin," Trump said after confirming he hadn't discussed Venezuela with the Russian leader. "He's killing too many people."

While lamenting the high number of deaths in Ukraine, Trump also said that the US is not losing money from supporting NATO with weapons and ammunition. "We're probably making money," he added.

He went on to say "I think we're making progress" with a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine, but did not explain what that meant.

The US president, who had vowed to end the war in Ukraine on day one, blamed his predecessor for the conflict and again repeated the claim that he has ended eight wars since coming to office.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has proposed Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal to become the country's energy minister and first deputy prime minister.

Zelenskyy called on Ukrainian lawmakers to support Shmyhal as the new energy minister, saying his experience was vital to ensure stability in the power sector as Russia continues to step up its blows against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Zelenskyy is also hoping to secure security guarantees from allies as he seeks to end the fighting in Russia's nearly 4-year-old invasion of his country.

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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.

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.

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.