The President of the United States, Donald Trump, declared on Thursday in Davos that his message to the Kremlin leader, Vladimir Putin, is that the war in Ukraine “must end,” following discussions he described as “good” with the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The statements were made on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Trump and Zelensky had a meeting of about an hour. The American president did not provide details about the content of the discussions, only stating that the process is “ongoing.”
“I think the meeting with President Zelensky was good. It’s an ongoing process,” Donald Trump told reporters. Asked what message he sends to Vladimir Putin, the White House leader replied: “The war must end.”
According to Reuters, American and Ukrainian officials have been involved in intense diplomatic activity for several weeks, as Kiev faces pressure from the Trump administration to reach a peace agreement, despite limited signals from Moscow about its willingness to stop the fighting.
In turn, Volodymyr Zelensky issued a public message after the meeting, in which he described the discussions with Donald Trump as “productive and consistent.” According to the Ukrainian leader, the parties discussed the work of the negotiating teams, who communicate “almost daily,” as well as military support for Ukraine.
Zelensky specified that a separate topic of the discussions was Ukraine’s air defense. He thanked for the previous package of missiles for air defense systems and requested additional support. “Protecting Ukraine’s sky means protecting lives. We hope to strengthen this time as well,” the Ukrainian president conveyed.
Before the meeting, Donald Trump announced in Davos the launch of a new “Peace Council,” stating that ending the conflict in Ukraine remains one of his priorities.
The meeting in Davos took place against a backdrop of rapid agenda changes. Initially, the forum was seen as a possible framework for signing a post-war reconstruction agreement for Ukraine (“Prosperity Plan”), but this scenario was postponed. On January 21, Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he would not go to Davos, citing the energy crisis in Ukraine and the lack of a concrete document with the US. *”I only come if there is something to sign,” Zelensky stated.
The situation changed after Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum, in which he said that “the war must end” and that an agreement is “close,” suggesting an imminent meeting with Zelensky. The statements were followed by urgent contacts between Kiev and Washington, and within a few hours, the Ukrainian president changed his agenda, left Ukraine, and arrived on January 22 in Davos, where he had the meeting with Donald Trump.