President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Ukrainian experts will be present at talks involving the United States and Russia in Saudi Arabia on Monday as a diplomatic push to end the war intensifies.
Speaking at a news conference in Oslo on Thursday, Zelenskiy said the structure of the meetings would see US officials meeting with Ukrainian experts and then holding separate talks with Russian representatives.
"There will be technical teams present there," Zelenskiy confirmed.
"I understand that the structure is the following: there will be a meeting of Ukraine and America and then some shuttle diplomacy, as our American colleagues said, America with Russia."
Zelenskiy said Kyiv would draw up a list of facilities that could be subject to a partial ceasefire brokered by Washington. That list could include not only energy, but also rail and port infrastructure, he said.
Yuri Ushakov, a top foreign policy aide to President Vladimir Putin, confirmed that bilateral talks between Russian and US officials would be taking place in Riyadh, adding they would focus on the safety of shipping in the Black Sea.
Earlier, Zelenskiy urged EU leaders meeting in Brussels to approve a package of at least five billion euros for artillery purchases for Ukraine and called for continued pressure on Russia.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas scaled back a proposal to pledge up to 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year, with each country contributing according to its economic size, after resistance from some countries, particularly in southern Europe.
When he addressed the EU summit by video, Zelenskiy said it was "simply anti-European when one person blocks decisions that are important for the entire continent", referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban's opposition to EU statements in support of Ukraine.
Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new summit of European Union leaders would be held in Paris next Thursday.
Zelenskiy was set to attend, Macron confirmed.
"We will finalise our work to support the Ukrainian army and build a sustainable and resilient military model to prevent future Russian invasions," he said on X.
On the battlefront, Ukraine struck a major Russian strategic bomber airfield with drones, triggering a huge blast and fire about 700km from the front lines of the war, Russian and Ukrainian officials say.
Videos verified by Reuters showed a huge blast spreading out from the airfield, wrecking nearby cottages.
Russia's defence ministry said air defences had shot down 132 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions.
Other verified videos showed a giant plume of smoke rising into the dawn sky and an intense fire.
The base in Engels, which dates back to Soviet times, hosts Russia's Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers, known unofficially as White Swans.
Roman Busargin, governor of Saratov, said there had been a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Engels that had left an airfield on fire and that nearby residents had been relocated.
Ten people were injured in the attack, local officials said.
Ukraine's military, quoting media, also reported a strike early on Friday on a recently closed gas pumping station in western Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been under pressure seven months after a cross-border incursion.
A Ukrainian military Telegram channel posted a picture of a fireball rising skyward with the caption: "Media are reporting a successful strike on the Sudzha gas transport system through which the enemy used to transport gas to Europe."
There was no official word on the incident from government officials in Kyiv. Authorities in Moscow also did not report the incident.
with AP and DPA
