Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Switzerland on January 22 to participate in the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum in Davos. As part of his visit, negotiations are scheduled with U.S. President Donald Trump, which are set to begin around 2:00 PM Kyiv time. At 3:30 PM, Zelensky will deliver a keynote speech at the forum, after which he will participate in a panel session of the International Advisory Council for Ukraine’s Recovery and hold meetings with representatives of energy companies.
This is reported by Kyiv24
High-Level Negotiations and Positions of the Parties
The meeting with Trump became possible after the American president expressed his willingness to negotiate with the Ukrainian leader during a speech in Davos on January 21. Prior to this, the Office of the President of Ukraine reported that Zelensky was in Kyiv and had not announced a visit to Switzerland. On January 20, the head of state noted that his trip to the forum depended on the readiness of relevant documents regarding cooperation with the U.S. and other international partners, particularly in the fields of air defense and energy.
Ukrainian Delegation, Key Meetings, and Issues
In the initial days of the forum, Ukraine was represented by a delegation led by the head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov. According to delegation member Rustem Umerov, Ukrainian representatives have already held meetings with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The main topics of discussion included Ukraine’s economic development, post-war recovery, and security guarantees.
“The president will also participate in a panel session of the International Advisory Council for Ukraine’s Recovery. During the event, Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with representatives of energy companies,” the statement said.
The meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with Witkoff took place ahead of his planned trip to Moscow for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, Bloomberg reported on Witkoff’s and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s intentions to visit Moscow in January to meet with Putin.
On January 17, another important meeting took place – the Ukrainian delegation held negotiations with U.S. representatives in Miami. The agenda included economic assistance to Ukraine amounting to up to $800 billion. This plan, which was to become the economic foundation of a broad peace package involving the U.S., Ukraine, and Europe, envisioned long-term support for Kyiv in recovering after a potential cessation of hostilities. The signing of the document was planned to be announced in Davos; however, according to the Financial Times, Europe’s disagreement with Donald Trump’s initiatives regarding the purchase of Greenland and the establishment of a Peace Council was the reason for postponing the signing of the economic assistance package known as the “prosperity plan.”