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U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, will take part in the talks, Dragone said on social platform X.

U.S. President Donald Trump met last Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and on Monday hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and prominent European leaders . Neither meeting delivered concrete progress.

Trump is trying to steer Putin and Zelenskyy toward a settlement more than three years after Russia invaded its neighbor, but there are . They include Ukraine’s demands for Western-backed military assurances to ensure Russia won’t mount another invasion in coming years.

“We need strong security guarantees to ensure a truly secure and lasting peace,� Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post Wednesday after Russian missile and drone strikes hit six regions of Ukraine overnight.

Kyiv’s European allies are that could backstop any peace agreement, and a , including European nations, Japan and Australia, have signed up to support the initiative.

Military chiefs are figuring out how that security force might work. The role that the U.S. might play in is unclear. Trump on Tuesday sending U.S. troops to help defend Ukraine against Russia.

Russia has repeatedly said that it would not accept NATO troops in Ukraine.

Attacks on civilian areas in Sumy and Odesa overnight into Wednesday injured 15 people, including a family with three small children, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian strikes also targeted ports and fuel and energy infrastructure, officials said.

Zelenskyy said the strikes “only confirm the need for pressure on Moscow, the need to introduce new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy works to its full potential.�

Trump said Monday he has for a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, although the Kremlin hasn’t publicly confirmed such a possibility and no venue was suggested.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the summit could happen in Europe and proposed the Swiss city of Geneva. Switzerland has expressed its willingness to act as host.

Putin’s ability to travel abroad , however, because he is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on a warrant dating back to March 2023 for alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children. More than 100 countries are ICC signatories and have a legal obligation to arrest the Russian leader on their soil.

Switzerland intends to ask the ICC to exempt it from sanctions in order to allow Putin in for a summit, according to a senior official in The Hague with direct knowledge of the request. The official was not authorized to speak about the proceedings and spoke on condition of anonymity.

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Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Molly Quell contributed from The Hague.

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