Preparing for meetings at the World Economic Forum, Ukrainian envoys in Florida made “substantive” progress on documents they hope to sign with US President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland this week.
“There have already been several rounds of negotiations,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address. “They are working on the documents needed to end the war.”
Ukraine is looking for more precise language from its allies on security guarantees should Kyiv and Moscow come to terms on a ceasefire. Zelensky has noted on several occasions that the Kremlin is quite unserious about peace, given their relentless attacks on civilian targets in recent weeks, especially energy infrastructure, leaving much of Ukraine without heating during a stretch of sub-freezing temperatures.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov and his team met with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll at Witkoff’s own golf course.
“We had substantive discussions on economic development and prosperity plan as well as security guarantees for Ukraine,” Umerov posted to social media.
While the US Davos delegation also includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with Witkoff and Kushner, who have all played key roles on Ukraine, there is no guarantee that the Ukrainian side will be meeting in Davos with Trump, who is facing miserable poll numbers back home when it comes to such economic issues as a soaring cost of living and a looming health-insurance crisis.
“No bilateral meetings [in Davos] have been scheduled for Davos at this time,” the White House told AFP.
Umerov, however, indicated that meetings would continue in Switerland.
“We agreed to continue work at the team level during the next phase of consultations in Davos,” he wrote.
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum will run from Monday, Jan 19 to Jan 23. Aside from Trump and Zelensky, other leaders from around the world who will attend include: Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada; Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Friedrich Merz, Federal Chancellor of Germany; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Alexander Stubb, President of Finland; Micheál Martin, Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands; Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland and Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia, to name just a handful.
The last time that Zelensky and Trump met in person was just before the New Year at Trump’s resort home in Palm Beach, FL. The two leaders emerged from that meeting announcing that a deal was “90 percent” ironed out in the 20-point peace plan, with the “thorny issue” of Donbas remaining, as the US host called it.
Also left unresolved were security guarantees and the exact timing of any ceasefire.
“I think we’ll get it done,” Trump said following the meeting. “I don’t want to say when, but I think we’re going to get it done.”