Ukraine's foreign minister calls for the inclusion of Kyiv and other allies in possible talks with Russia

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba proposed an alternative to possible bilateral talks between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, calling for the inclusion of Ukraine and other allies. 

“Ukraine welcomes any diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation of the conflict, but the most suitable format for the discussion regarding de-escalation and forming new guarantees of security would be a summit in the following format: five permanent UN Security Council members, plus Ukraine, Germany and Turkey,” Kuleba told reporters in Brussels.

According to the White House, Biden has agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Putin, providing Russia does not invade Ukraine.

The meeting, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, would happen after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meet on Thursday.

Speaking during a news briefing following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Kuleba also announced that an agreement had been reached, in principle, for the EU to “roll out an advisory training military mission” in Ukraine.

“These are not combat forces, this is a new element in the cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union,” Kuleba said.

“The details, the main parameters and the timeline of this roll out are still to be discussed, but it's critical that we open this new page in our relations,” he added.