Ukraine’s Zelensky arrives for Davos talks with Trump
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meeting US President Donald Trump in Florida in December 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV - US envoy Steve Witkoff on Jan 22 said “a lot of progress” had been made in Ukraine peace talks and that negotiations were down to one last issue
Mr Zelensky had said earlier this week that he would not attend the annual World Economic Forum in Davos and would remain in Kyiv to focus on the energy crisis in Ukraine, where Russian air strikes against electricity infrastructure have left swathes of the capital and other regions without power.
The Ukrainian leader had said he would only travel to Davos if there was the opportunity to sign an agreement with Mr Trump on resolving the nearly four-year war that included security guarantees and post-war reconstruction funding for Ukraine.
On Jan 21, Mr Trump announced he would meet Mr Zelensky
Mr Zelensky’s spokesperson said in a statement that the Ukrainian leader had arrived in Switzerland on Jan 22 and would meet with Mr Trump at 1pm (8pm Singapore time) before delivering a speech at 2.30pm.
“If both sides want to solve this, we’re going to get it solved,” Mr Witkoff told an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress.”
Talks with Putin in Moscow
Mr Witkoff has held talks in recent days with Ukrainian officials in Davos, following weekend discussions in Florida.
He was due in Moscow with fellow US envoy Jared Kushner – Mr Trump’s son-in-law – later on Jan 22 for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the possible plan to end the conflict, Europe’s deadliest since World War II.
Mr Putin said late on Jan 21 that they would discuss a settlement on Ukraine and the possibility of using frozen Russian assets overseas for reconstruction, as well as Mr Trump’s proposal for a Board of Peace, tasked with promoting peace around the world.
Critics of the proposal have said it would rival or undermine the United Nations
The Kremlin said Mr Putin’s meeting with Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner will take place after 7pm to 8pm Moscow time (12am-1am Singapore time).
It declined to comment on Mr Witkoff’s stated optimism that a deal was close but said it appreciated his diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s international bonds rallied more than two cents on Jan 22 as the bout of high-level diplomatic meetings lifted hopes in financial markets that progress could be made towards ending the war.
Asked in Davos when he would come to Ukraine, Mr Witkoff said “soon”, without providing any timeframe, according to a video posted by Ukrainian media outlet Novyny.LIVE.
Russian air strikes hit several parts of Ukraine on Jan 22. In the southern region of Odesa, a 17-year-old man was killed when a drone struck an apartment building, the regional governor said. REUTERS
