Ukraine-US talks in Geneva on Thursday preparation for trilateral meeting with Russia', Zelenskyy says Europe live

"Nato countries, our friends and allies, have just agreed at my very strong request to pay 5 percent of GDP for military defence rather than the 2 percent, which they weren't paying; we were paying for almost all of them. Now they're paying five as opposed to not paying for it. And getting that 5 percent was something which everyone said would never be done, could not happen."

"And we're working very hard to end the ninth war, the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month. Think of that, 25,000 soldiers are dying a month. A war which would have never happened if I were president."

"Other issues on the agenda for Thursday are prisoner-of-war exchanges and a prosperity package for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Witkoff confirmed the talks earlier this week saying the aim was to explore different iterations about how we might get to a peace deal."

Zelenskyy announced Thursday meetings to prepare for trilateral negotiations with Russia scheduled for early March, with agendas including prisoner-of-war exchanges and a prosperity package for Ukrainian reconstruction. Trump's State of the Union address contained limited Ukraine commentary but highlighted NATO's agreement to increase defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP at his request. Trump stated this spending increase was previously considered impossible but achieved through one meeting. He emphasized that NATO countries now pay in full for military support, contrasting with previous arrangements where the US covered most costs. Trump also referenced ongoing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, noting the significant human cost of approximately 25,000 soldiers dying monthly.

Read at www.theguardian.com