Downing Street said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the morning of 3 January 2026. The leaders welcomed continued US efforts towards a just and lasting peace and discussed Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructure, stressing that Ukraine seeks peace most of all.
London also welcomed National Security Adviser‑level discussions in Kyiv that day, with leaders expected to advance the work in Paris on Tuesday. Ukraine’s Presidential Office separately confirmed an NSAs meeting of Coalition of the Willing states and set out the sequence: chiefs of general staff on Monday 5 January and a leaders’ session in Paris on Tuesday 6 January.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said the Paris meeting on 6 January will deliver firm commitments by European states to protect Ukraine after any peace deal, convening the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ led by France and the UK.
The call also reviewed preparations to ensure a multinational force could deploy to Ukraine in the days following a ceasefire. This aligns with the 15 December joint statement by European leaders, which outlines a European‑led ‘multinational force Ukraine’ operating inside Ukraine to help regenerate forces, secure Ukraine’s skies and support safer seas, alongside a US‑led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism and legally binding commitments to respond to any future attack.
For the UK system, the signal is practical: ceasefire verification, monitoring architecture and rapid deployment capacity would need to be ready almost immediately after an agreement. Kyiv’s NSAs meeting focused on a framework peace plan, security guarantees and reconstruction and economic recovery, indicating modalities and timelines are being refined across capitals.
Personnel changes in Kyiv will shape coordination channels. The Prime Minister welcomed Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov’s appointment as Head of the Office of the President and said UK teams would work closely with him; Budanov accepted the role on 2 January, replacing Andriy Yermak.
Delivery capacity remains central. The UK‑led Operation Interflex has trained more than 56,000 Ukrainian personnel with contributions from 13 partner nations, and the programme was extended to at least the end of 2026. This multinational training framework provides capacity that could underpin early post‑ceasefire tasks.
Kyiv’s readout of the call added a financial element, noting discussion of the frozen proceeds from the 2022 sale of Chelsea F.C., which Ukraine argues should support recovery and the protection of life; the fund stands at £2.5 billion. The UK side did not detail this point in its note.
Immediate milestones are now set: chiefs of general staff meet on Monday 5 January, followed by leaders in Paris on Tuesday 6 January. Downing Street’s readout signalled the UK’s expectation that leaders will progress the work there.
Taken together, the 15 December joint statement, the Kyiv advisers’ session and the 3 January call indicate alignment around a ceasefire‑first package: a European‑led presence in Ukraine, US‑led monitoring and verification, and sustained economic support. Those are the parameters for the week’s work.