In Davos, Switzerland, a meeting took place between the Presidents of Ukraine and the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump. The talks, held as part of the World Economic Forum (WEF), lasted about an hour, the White House said on January 22.

Afterwards, Trump told reporters that the meeting with Zelensky went well. He stated that Russia’s war against Ukraine must come to an end, responding to a question about the message he would like to send to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said that both sides are striving for peace.

Speaking in Davos the day before, Trump announced plans to meet with Zelensky and expressed confidence that the Ukrainian president is ready to reach a deal. “I think I can say that we’ve come quite close to that,” he said. The U.S. president again emphasized that the war in Ukraine, ongoing for nearly four years, must be stopped.

Zelensky’s meeting with Trump took place just hours before talks between U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Zelensky himself noted on January 20 that, due to ongoing Russian airstrikes, he had many urgent matters to handle in Ukraine. He said he would travel to Switzerland only if a document was ready for signing or if new concrete promises of assistance were made, including the delivery of air defense systems.