DAVOS, Switzerland — Envoys for President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met behind closed doors for roughly two hours at the World Economic Forum to discuss a possible path toward ending the war in Ukraine. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff described the session as “very positive,” while Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the dialogue “constructive” as Jared Kushner joined the U.S. side at the Alpine summit, Jan. 20, 2026.
The Davos session — held at the “USA House” venue — offered the clearest public sign in weeks that Washington and Moscow are trying to rebuild a negotiation track, even as fighting continues and Ukraine’s European backers warn against a settlement that trades peace for forced concessions.
Davos Ukraine talks put cease-fire terms back on the table
Neither side released details of what was discussed, but the meeting comes as the Trump administration presses for a framework that would pair a pause in hostilities with a broader package of security and reconstruction commitments. Reuters reported the discussion included Witkoff and Kushner for the U.S. delegation and Dmitriev for Russia. Reuters’ account of the Davos meeting said no agreement was reached.
European officials in Davos, meanwhile, have been signaling that any deal must be durable and credible — and that the West should avoid a quick fix that invites renewed conflict. European leaders’ Davos remarks reported by Reuters described tensions over how to respond to Trump’s broader foreign-policy posture while also keeping support aligned for Ukraine.
Davos Ukraine talks collide with Kyiv’s conditions
Ukraine’s leadership has pushed for security guarantees and has repeatedly rejected the idea of formal territorial concessions, arguing that any settlement must respect its sovereignty and international law. A Ukrainian official told Reuters that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Davos participation depended on whether a substantive meeting with Trump would happen and whether Washington is prepared to sign agreements tied to guarantees and economic support. Reuters’ report on Zelenskyy’s Davos decision added that Ukraine was ready to move quickly if the talks produced concrete outcomes.
Those conditions echo earlier U.S.-Ukraine discussions. In a White House readout of talks in Geneva in November, the administration said senior officials and Kushner met with a Ukrainian delegation to review draft agreements in what it described as a detailed and candid session. The White House readout of the Geneva talks did not specify final terms but framed the process as ongoing.
What “continuity” looks like in Ukraine diplomacy
The Davos Ukraine talks are the latest waypoint in a diplomatic timeline that has repeatedly surged and stalled. A Reuters explainer last year revisited the last major round of direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in 2022 and the reasons those efforts broke down, including disputes over security guarantees and territorial control. Reuters’ May 2025 explainer on past peace talks outlined how those earlier proposals shaped later debate.
In 2024, Switzerland hosted a high-profile summit aimed at building support for “a comprehensive, just and lasting peace,” though Russia was not at the table. Reuters published the draft joint communique from that gathering, underscoring how Kyiv’s diplomatic push has sought broad international buy-in even without Moscow’s participation.
At Davos this week, the question is whether today’s Davos Ukraine talks can translate upbeat adjectives into a negotiating channel that also includes Kyiv and key European capitals — and whether any emerging proposal can satisfy demands for security, accountability and a sustainable end to Europe’s deadliest war in decades.
As global leaders and executives crowd the Swiss resort, the peace push is also unfolding in a political spotlight. AP’s live Davos updates tracked how the forum’s agenda has been shaped by Trump’s appearance and the broader geopolitical fallout of the Ukraine war.
