The meeting concluded on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.'closed-door meeting between the president of the United States Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr ZelenskyA face-to-face meeting that lasted about an hour, defined as “good” by Trump himself, but it leaves more questions than certainties on the table. From Kiev, the Ukrainian presidential office described the meeting as "positive," signaling a constructive atmosphere but lacking, so far, concrete results.
At the end of the bilateral meeting, the American president chose a simple and insistent line of communication. “The war must end”, he repeated several times to reporters, insisting on the human cost of the conflict. According to Trump, 30.000 people, "mostly soldiers," have died in the last month alone. This figure was invoked to increase political pressure. without being accompanied by operational announcements, however or from a real negotiating roadmap.
Trump also made it clear what it was not discussed: the issue of Ukrainian borders. A passage that is far from secondary, because it signals that the territorial dossier – the most sensitive and divisive – remains outside the direct confrontation between Washington and KievAsked whether there is already an agreement with Zelensky, the US president avoided answering.
Zelensky: "Security guarantees are needed," attacks the EU and appeals to the US
Immediately after the meeting with Trump, Zelensky took the stage of the Davos Forum for clarify Kiev's positionThe message was direct and without nuance: “We need real security guarantees immediately“because without concrete commitments, he explained, it is not possible to end the war with Russia.
The Ukrainian president reiterated that Ukraine “works every day to end the war,” but stressed that peace cannot be a unilateral process. “Russia must be ready to end the war against us,” he said, adding that the international pressure It must remain "very strong." A reference to Western partners, often described as optimistic but, according to Zelensky, still hesitant to translate words into concrete decisions.Everyone speaks positively, but there's always a 'but'”, he observed.
In his speech, Zelensky indicated an essential actor in the United States, “without the involvement of the US it is It is impossible to talk about security guarantees for Ukraine.” explaining that diplomatic work with partners is ongoing but that a "green light" from Washington is needed to make it truly effective.
Alongside the appeal to the United States, the Ukrainian president has widened the discussion to Europe, called to a qualitative leap in defense. The European Union, according to the Ukrainian president, “she must learn to defend herself" and equip themselves with a truly unified and effective defense. Zelensky expressed dismay that American intervention was necessary to convince European NATO countries to increase military spending to 5% of GDP, which he called "the minimum for defense." Without becoming a truly “global force”, he warned, Europe will inevitably remain a target. "We should not accept that Europe is just a salad of small and medium-sized powers topped with Europe's enemies," he argued. "When we are united, We are truly invincible and Europe can and must be a global force, not a force that reacts belatedly, but a force that defines the future.”
There was no shortage of winners from the Davos podium harsh words also on a political and symbolic level. "Maduro is on trial, but Putin is not yet." Zelensky declared, denouncing what he considers an unequal treatment on the international justice front. The Ukrainian president then criticized the European Union on dossier of frozen Russian assets, arguing that Moscow is achieving results precisely in this area. According to Zelensky, the EU decided to freeze Russian assets indefinitely, but when it came to using them for Ukraine's benefit, "the decision was blocked." The same goes, he added, for the establishment of a Russian war crimes tribunal.
The question left open by the Kiev leader is therefore whether “there is no time or no will?”
Trump with his eyes turned to Moscow
If borders were not discussed in Davos, the real recipient of Trump's message seems to have been the Kremlin.Let's see what happens in Russia", he declared while leaving the Swiss convention center before returning to Washington. The US president directly called into question Vladimir Putin, reiterating that the end of the war also depends, and above all, on a Russian decision.
Confirmation then came from Moscow that the White House special envoy Steve Witkoff e Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and right-hand man, they will meet Putin in the evening. A passage that moves the center of gravity of negotiations directly in the Russian capital.
American optimism, Kremlin silence
Witkoff expressed optimism, arguing that talks between Ukraine and Russia would be successful. “reduced to a single question”, therefore potentially solvable. A reading that The Kremlin has chosen not to commentSpokesman Dmitry Peskov urged caution, avoiding any assessments of the state of negotiations on the eve of the meeting with the American delegation.
Moscow, meanwhile, has relaunched the its willingness to pay a billion dollars for the so-called “Board of Peace” signed today in Davos, but it set a clear condition: the contribution will be possible only in exchange for the release of frozen Russian assets in the United States. This position had already been anticipated in the preceding hours by Vladimir Putin, which the Kremlin formally reiterated, tying the transfer of the resources requested by the White House to a concrete gesture from Washington.
First US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral meeting in the Emirates
At the end of his speech in Davos, Zelensky announced “the first trilateral meeting between the United States, Russia and Ukraine“. The meeting should take place between tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in the United Arab Emirates, in the capital Abu Dhabi. “I hope the Emirates are aware of this. Yes, sometimes we get surprises from the American side,” Zelensky said, as reported by Sky News.
Secondo Axios, the United States should be represented at the trilateral table by the envoys Steve Witkoff e Jared Kushner, for Ukraine the head of the presidential office Kyrylo Budanov, the Secretary of the Security Council Rustem Umerov and the long-time diplomat Sergiy Kyslytsya. For Russia, the Kremlin's negotiator would be expected. Kirill Dmitriev and the head of military intelligence.
Last update 17,32am
