A coalition of Ukraine’s allies will discuss a bid to move swiftly on U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace proposal on Thursday as Kyiv’s forces carried out their first-ever attack on Russian Caspian Sea oil production.

Leaders from more than 30 countries that are part of the so-called coalition of the willing will hold a virtual meeting, their second this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address.

Allies will discuss the state of peace talks and the latest draft plan that Ukrainian officials sent to Washington overnight, people familiar with the planning said. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to brief participants on an exchange they had with Trump on Wednesday, the people said on condition of anonymity as talks take place behind closed doors.

Merz, who said he was “relatively optimistic” after the “very constructive” exchange with Trump, said leaders had proposed that they have a “final discussion” of the draft over the weekend — and that the issue of territory was central to the talks. A meeting may be held in Berlin at the start of next week, he added.

“Above all, it’s about the territorial concessions that Ukraine is ready to make — but that’s a question that the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people must answer,” Merz said in Berlin after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “We made that clear to President Trump.”

Zelenskyy submitted a new version of a draft to the White House, following discussions with key European partners this week. The draft containing 20 points is a “fundamental document” to end the war, Zelenskyy said. Ukraine also developed two additional proposed agreements from the plan, addressing U.S. security guarantees and future recovery, he said.

“We are actively working on the key steps – and they must be doable steps,” Zelenskyy said.

New election

Trump has stepped up pressure on the Ukrainian leader to accept his peace plan, reinforcing a call for Zelenskyy to organize presidential elections. The vote — currently restricted under martial law — would be possible if the U.S. and Europe ensure security in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said earlier this week. He met with lawmakers to discuss changes to the election law.

Meanwhile, the warring parties continued to carry out aerial strikes. Ukrainian forces hit the Filanovsky offshore platform in the Caspian Sea, owned by Lukoil PJSC, according to a person familiar with the attack. The platform suffered at least four strikes, halting its operations, the person said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on its Telegram channel that air defenses downed 287 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 40 in the Moscow region. Russian aviation authorities imposed temporary restrictions on flights at Moscow’s Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports, the state-run Tass news service reported Thursday.

In Ukraine, energy infrastructure in the central city of Kremenchuk and in the Black Sea port of Odesa in the south came under attacks overnight, according to local governors.

The European Union in the meantime is pushing to reach an agreement as early as Friday to extend the bloc’s freeze on Russian assets using emergency powers — a key step toward tapping the funds to help Ukraine. The European Commission, the E.U.’s executive branch, will soon present a proposal on the matter, with the goal to finalize a deal before the end of the week, according to people familiar with the matter.

The issue has become a major sticking point in E.U. attempts to secure a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan for Ukraine using immobilized Russian central bank assets. All 27 E.U. member states currently must renew the asset freeze every six months, leading to concerns that Hungary or anyone else could veto and give Moscow a sudden claim to its funds.

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—With assistance from Alberto Nardelli, Iain Rogers and Maxim Edwards.

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