Russia-Ukraine Talks Latest on Sidelines of Davos Forum
RUSSIA – The Russia-Ukraine talks on the sidelines of Davos forum on Tuesday provided a positive assessment from both sides, after contacts with both the US and European representatives in Switzerland.
After a meeting with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that lasted over two hours at the US House in Davos, Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev described the talks as “constructive.”
“More and more people are realizing the correctness of the Russian position,” he added.
Witkoff said contacts went well.
“They were very positive,” he said.
Separately, Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, posted on Telegram that discussions on a settlement were underway in Davos.
“Working in Davos alongside (the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine) Kyrylo Budanov and (lawmaker) David Arakhamia. In the morning, together with David Arakhamia, we held a meeting with the national security advisors of France, Germany and the UK. We synchronized approaches to security guarantees and further diplomatic work,” he wrote.
He added that meetings on security guarantees, economic development and Ukraine’s reconstruction would follow later.
Budanov noted that he felt “cautiously optimistic” about progress in the peace process.
He emphasized that work continues but cautioned that “peace will not come tomorrow,” adding that much depends on Russia’s position, “whether someone likes it or not.”
Davos, the informal name for the WEF Annual Meeting held each January in Switzerland, is a major global gathering where political leaders, heads of global companies, academics and public figures discuss economic, geopolitical and social issues.
US President Donald Trump has pursued a personal approach to ending the war in Ukraine, marked by discrete talks between his advisors and both Russian and Ukrainian officials.
His proposed framework emphasizes US-backed security guarantees for Kyiv and greater European burden-sharing while leaving unresolved the status of Russian-controlled territories and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
