USA Zelenskyj in Davos for Ukraine meeting with Trump
According to media reports, the Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Switzerland for a meeting with US President Donald Trump. The presidential office in Kiev also confirmed the trip to Ukrainian media.
22.01.2026, 10:48
SDA
On Wednesday, Trump announced the meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Zelensky is also due to speak at the forum. For security reasons, trips by the Ukrainian head of state are only ever announced once he has arrived safely.
In addition to the meeting between Trump and Selensky in Davos, efforts to end the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for almost four years, will continue in Moscow this evening. US negotiator Steve Witkoff is due to speak with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin there.
Trump: Selensky wants a deal
Trump had said in Davos on Wednesday that he believed that Zelenskyi wanted to make a deal. "I think I can say that we're reasonably close." The Republican repeated his demand that the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for almost four years, must end. Putin and Zelenskyi would be stupid if they did not agree to a deal, he said.
A trip by Zelensky to Davos had been uncertain for a long time. He had said on Tuesday that he had a lot to do in his own country due to the ongoing Russian attacks from the air. He would therefore only travel to Switzerland if there was a document ready for signature or further promises of aid, for example for the delivery of anti-aircraft weapons.
Ukrainian cities sit in cold and darkness
Shortly before Trump's speech, Zelensky published pictures on his Telegram channel of a government meeting in Kiev on the subject of power supply. In many of the country's cities, citizens often have to sit out in the cold and darkness for hours on end. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, around 3,000 high-rise buildings in the capital Kiev were still without heating on Thursday morning.
The Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umjerow announced that his team had met with the US negotiators Witkoff and Jared Kushner as well as American investors in Davos. They discussed the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war and security guarantees for the country. However, it is unclear whether there are actually any documents ready to be signed for the meeting between Trump and Selensky.
