U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff expresses optimism about reaching a peace agreement in Ukraine as he prepares to meet with Putin in Moscow.
Witkoff Confirms Progress in Peace Talks
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, stated at the Economic Forum in Davos that “significant progress” has been made in Russia-Ukraine peace talks. The American will fly from Switzerland to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin on Thursday, January 22.
“It’s time to end this. I think we will succeed. We intend to bring about a peace agreement in Ukraine,” Witkoff said, adding that he is “optimistic” about negotiations which now focus on “one issue.”
Zelensky Travels to Davos for Meeting with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos, reported the Ukrinform agency on the morning of Thursday, January 22. His communications advisor, Dmytro Lytvyn, confirmed that Zelensky will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at 13:00.
Ukrainian media assessed that concrete results are unlikely at the Switzerland meeting, as there is no final decision on the peace agreement.
Unresolved Points of Peace Agreement
Among the contentious issues that would need to be resolved to end the war are control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the ownership of territories illegally occupied by Russians, including the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
“We are close to an agreement on this, but there is still a dispute that needs to be worked out,” Donald Trump admitted regarding Donbas during December talks in Florida. Zelenski countered, “Our position is clear, which is why the president said that this is a difficult issue.”