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KYIV, Ukraine – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government is pursuing concrete guarantees from Western allies on the framework of post‑war security assistance that will take effect after the nearly five‑year conflict triggered by Russia’s full‑scale invasion ends.
In an interview broadcast late Thursday, Zelenskyy made the remarks after a two‑day summit in Brussels focused on post‑war security and reconstruction. The comments precede upcoming trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi next week involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States—the first such peace discussions since February.
Even as negotiations on a potential peace framework continue, the war’s brutal reality persisted on Friday, with renewed Russian drone strikes and a rising death toll following a Monday guided‑bomb attack on a former school serving as a humanitarian aid distribution hub.
The Brussels meetings addressed post‑war reconstruction, funding for 2027, and security guarantees backed by Western allies. Attendees included officials from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and the European Union, as well as representatives from the World Bank and U.S. investment firm BlackRock, according to Ukrainian lead negotiator Rustem Umerov in an online post.
“We separately discussed the threats posed by Russia to Ukraine and the broader European security, as well as joint steps to counter them,” Umerov wrote.
Zelenskyy emphasized the need for tangible results during the interview.
“What matters is that it’s clear on paper,” Zelenskyy said in the late‑night interview on Ukraine’s private 1+1 television channel. “The essential point is not a list of dozens of items, but a clear understanding of what will happen if Russia resumes attacks—who will respond, with what means, and when. Those answers must be clear, above all, to us Ukrainians.”
He underscored the importance of maintaining bipartisan support for Kyiv in the United States, while noting that Democrats’ strong performance in this week’s midterm elections could accelerate U.S. aid, including the expedited delivery of Patriot missile interceptors that Kyiv deems essential for countering Russian airstrikes.
“I believe our chances of obtaining additional assistance from the United States may now grow,” he added.
President Donald Trump met Thursday with Moscow envoy Kirill Dmitriev, declining to disclose details of their discussion.
“There’s going to be an agreement, it’s going to be a big agreement and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,” Trump said, adding that the deal might extend to all of Europe.
Trump, who has long claimed he could swiftly broker an end to the Russia‑Ukraine war, has recently placed responsibility on Zelenskyy for refusing to make concessions. Trump did not meet Thursday with Ukrainian officials who were also present for a ceremony in Washington with first lady Melania Trump.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son‑in‑law and envoy, said in a social media post that the Brussels talks aimed to “develop practical arrangements that address the security concerns of all sides, reduce the risk of future conflict and create a more stable and predictable security environment.”
The death toll from a Russian bomb attack on a shelter and a former school—currently serving as an aid distribution hub—climbed to 53 after additional bodies were recovered from the rubble, according to Mykhailo Semikin, the region’s acting military administration head, in an online post.
Ten powerful guided bombs destroyed the facility in Komyshuvakha, a village in southeastern Ukraine. Several dozen people remain unaccounted for, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the region in nearly five years of combat.
Russian drones hit five districts of Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region more than ten times during the night, according to regional administrator Oleksandr Hanzha. The strikes damaged storage facilities, homes, vehicles and a sports complex.
In the central Kirovohrad region, three people were wounded when a drone struck a private home, sparking a fire.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 227 attack drones, including 86 jet‑powered models, hitting 14 locations and scattering debris across eight additional sites. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or neutralized 196 Russian drones during the night into Friday.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced Friday that it had downed 142 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Associated Press writers Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands; Elise Morton in London; and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed.
