[Source: Reuters - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg hold a press conference at the government's representative facilities in Oslo, Norway]

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday Ukrainian experts would be present at upcoming talks involving the United States and Russia, but will not be in the same room as Russia, as a diplomatic push to end the war intensifies.

Russian and U.S. experts are due to discuss ways to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea at talks on a possible peace settlement in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the Kremlin said.

“There will be technical teams present there,” Zelensky said during a visit to Norway.

“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,” he told a press conference with Norway’s premier.

Zelensky said on Wednesday 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.

The Ukrainian leader was speaking on Thursday in Norway, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, a day after his trip to like-minded Finland, as he seeks to shore up European backing amid divergences among countries in the region over how to bolster Kyiv and the EU’s own military capabilities.

Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky urged EU leaders meeting in Brussels to approve a package of at least 5 billion euros for artillery purchases for Ukraine and called for continued pressure on Russia.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has 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, Zelensky 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.

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