Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an urgent journey to Davos, Switzerland, arriving Thursday for critical negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump. The high-stakes meeting occurs amid significant diplomatic efforts to broker an end to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed measured optimism about reaching a comprehensive peace agreement, stating the negotiations have been narrowed to a single pivotal issue. While Witkoff refrained from specifying the exact nature of this remaining obstacle, diplomatic sources indicate recent discussions have centered on the future status of Ukraine’s Donbas region. The proposed solution involves establishing a demilitarized free economic zone in exchange for concrete security guarantees for Kyiv.
“I believe we’ve successfully condensed the complexities down to one core issue,” Witkoff commented before traveling to Moscow for parallel discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We’ve explored various iterations of this issue, which indicates it is ultimately solvable. If both parties demonstrate genuine willingness to resolve this conflict, we will achieve a settlement.”
President Trump reinforced this sentiment, asserting that both President Putin and President Zelensky have reached a critical juncture where agreement is possible, adding bluntly that failure to capitalize on this opportunity would be unwise. This meeting follows Trump’s previous assessment that Putin appeared more prepared for compromise than Zelensky.
Zelensky’s attendance at the World Economic Forum came despite severe domestic challenges. The Ukrainian leader initially canceled his diplomatic travels to address a severe humanitarian crisis in Kyiv following targeted Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. These attacks have left extensive areas of the capital without heating, power, or water during extreme winter conditions, with thousands of residential buildings remaining without heat.
The negotiations face several substantial hurdles. Zelensky has previously outlined two major sticking points: the future of Donbas and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russian forces seized in March 2022. The Ukrainian president has conditionally offered a troop withdrawal from approximately 25% of the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control, proposing a 40-kilometer pullback to establish an economic zone contingent on reciprocal Russian action.
While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed continued discussions with American envoys regarding “the Ukrainian issue and related topics,” he declined to endorse Witkoff’s optimistic outlook. Additionally, President Putin has not yet decided on participating in Trump’s proposed Board of Peace concerning Gaza.
Zelensky had hoped to finalize two significant agreements with Trump at Davos covering security guarantees and economic prosperity, noting only “one mile left” to complete these documents. Although the prospect of formal signings during the Forum remains uncertain, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council head Rustem Umerov confirmed substantive discussions with U.S. counterparts regarding economic development, post-war reconstruction, and security assurances.