European countries have intensified military and financial assistance to Ukraine, while Russia has said Europe's involvement will not help ease the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Netherlands on Tuesday, where he said Ukraine's negotiating delegation would travel to the United States later this week or early next week to hold further consultations on a plan to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Zelenskyy said recent discussions with European partners had produced "important progress,” adding that the United States had received Europe's responses and was expected to contact Russia before holding working-level talks with the Ukrainian delegation.

At the 32nd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the United Kingdom and Germany announced new military support for Kyiv.

Europe steps up military, financial aid

UK Defense Secretary John Healey announced that Britain will allocate £600 million to strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities and will soon start manufacturing a new "Octopus" interceptor drone. He said thousands of these drones are expected to be delivered to Ukraine each month. In October, Ukraine and the UK signed a deal for the joint production of the interceptor drones.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany has delivered two Patriot air defense systems and one IRIS-T system, as previously pledged to Ukraine. He also announced that Germany will supply a large number of AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles from its stockpiles next year to further strengthen Ukraine's air defenses.

Financial support is also being expanded. The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it plans to issue about €90 billion in bonds in the first half of 2026, with the proceeds used to support Ukraine and provide loans to EU member states through mechanisms like the NextGenerationEU program and the Security Action for Europe framework. The Commission said it intends to offer up to €33 billion in loans to Ukraine between 2024 and 2027.

Analysts say the bond plan aims to secure stable, long-term funding for Ukraine amid divisions within the EU over the use of frozen Russian assets.

Russia dismiss Europe's mediation role

Russia responded cautiously to the latest diplomatic and military moves. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had not yet been informed of the results of talks involving the United States, Ukraine, and Europe in recent Berlin meetings. He added that European participation in mediation efforts would not help improve the situation.

European leaders issued a joint statement on Monday after their meeting in Berlin, stating that any potential territorial concessions by Ukraine could only be considered once strong security guarantees are in place. These guarantees, the statement said, should include a European-led multinational force, with Ukraine maintaining armed forces of around 800,000 personnel for deterrence, and U.S. support for European security efforts.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine supports a ceasefire during Christmas, especially a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure. Peskov said Russia is unlikely to agree to such a ceasefire if Ukraine pursues what he called "short-term, unworkable solutions" instead of a permanent settlement.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow would not make any concessions regarding the Donbas region or Crimea, which he emphasized are not open to negotiation. In a recent interview with U.S. broadcaster ABC, Ryabkov also said Russia would not accept the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine in any form.

He added that finding a sustainable solution to the conflict and addressing its root causes would be difficult and time-consuming because of deep differences among the parties, although he mentioned that Russia is willing to work to overcome them.

Also on Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights held a briefing in Geneva on the human rights situation in Ukraine. Li Xiaomei, minister counselor of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN Office at Geneva, reiterated China's position, saying China maintains an objective and impartial stance on the Ukraine crisis and calls for a ceasefire, dialogue, and a political solution. She stressed respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, adherence to the UN Charter, and attention to the legitimate security concerns of all parties.

Li said that discussions on Ukraine at the Human Rights Council should help reduce tensions instead of complicating the situation. She called for a greater focus on human rights cooperation and technical assistance rather than politicizing human rights issues.