DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine would be “stupid” not to strike a peace deal and claimed he will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Thursday, even as Kyiv insisted Zelensky remains in the Ukrainian capital.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Trump repeated his view that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky are close to an agreement to end the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
- Advertisement -
“I believe they’re at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don’t, they’re stupid — that goes for both of them,” Trump said during a brief conversation with a moderator after his address. “Too many people are dying.”
Trump had initially told the Davos audience he would meet Zelensky “today” and even suggested the Ukrainian leader “might be in the audience.” That assertion was contradicted within hours by Kyiv. Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Zelensky, told journalists “the president is in Kyiv,” where much of the capital remained without electricity and residents in roughly 4,000 buildings were without heat in sub-zero temperatures after Russian strikes earlier this week.
Trump later said the meeting with Zelensky would take place “tomorrow,” but officials in Kyiv offered no confirmation, leaving the prospect of a face-to-face encounter unclear.
The comments came alongside a renewed broadside against NATO and European allies. “What does the United States get out of all of this work, all of this money, other than death, destruction and massive amounts of cash going to people who don’t appreciate what we do?” Trump said. “They don’t appreciate what we do. I’m talking about NATO, I’m talking about Europe.”
Trump also argued the United States is “very far away” from Ukraine and suggested Washington does not need to lead efforts to end the conflict. “We have a big beautiful ocean separating us. We have nothing to do with it,” he said.
The U.S. has been the largest single supplier of military and financial assistance to Ukraine since the invasion, support that has underpinned Kyiv’s ability to defend its territory and maintain basic services under repeated Russian attacks. Trump did not detail what a potential deal would entail or how it could be reached amid ongoing fighting along the front.
He said both leaders had previously stepped back from a potential agreement but argued a settlement is now “reasonably close.” Neither Moscow nor Kyiv immediately responded to his characterization.
Zelensky, for his part, has voiced concerns that the Davos agenda could drift from Ukraine’s urgent needs. He warned that heightened attention to Trump’s push to seize Greenland from NATO ally Denmark — an issue that has loomed over discussions at the forum — risks diluting focus on Russia’s invasion. “I’m worried about any loss of focus during a full-scale war,” Zelensky told reporters Wednesday.
Russian missile and drone strikes this week again targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, exacerbating a winter power crisis in Kyiv and other cities. Municipal authorities said crews were racing to restore heating and electricity as temperatures fell below freezing.
Trump’s remarks add a volatile note to the diplomatic theater of Davos, where business and political leaders gather annually to discuss global risks and economic priorities. Whether his suggested meeting with Zelensky materializes — and whether it yields any movement toward peace — remained uncertain Wednesday night.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
