Davos: US President Donald Trump met with presidents, prime ministers and top diplomats from more than a dozen countries Thursday to tout his international Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The list of attendees, according to a forum schedule, is heavy on the Middle East and South America. But it remains short on major US allies from Europe, and the full membership list still isn’t clear.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an address to world leaders after holding talks with Trump at Davos on ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy called his meeting with Trump productive and substantive.
Europe is breathing a sigh of relief Thursday following Trump’s dramatic reversal over Greenland the day before in Davos, where he scrapped the tariffs that he threatened to impose on eight European nations to press for US control over Greenland.
Zelenskyy announces trilateral meetings between the US, Ukraine and Russia
Zelenskyy has announced two days of trilateral meetings between the US, Ukraine and Russia in the Emirates starting Friday.
The trilateral meetings will follow the American negotiating team’s visit to Moscow the day before.
Russians have to be ready for compromises because, you know, everybody has to be ready, not only Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, and this is important for us.
Zelenskyy criticises Europe and references Groundhog Day’
Zelenskyy has delivered strong words criticising European leaders on the continent’s security.
Just last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words Europe needs to know how to defend itself. A year has passed. And nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I must say the same words again, he said in a speech at Davos.
He added that Europe needs to act now, referencing the film Groundhog Day.
The war in Ukraine approaches the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Zelenskyy says documents for a deal to end the war are nearly, nearly ready’
Zelenskyy said documents for a deal to end the war in Ukraine are nearly ready.
Some of the documents seek security guarantees, while others cover economic plans for the future of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy calls Trump meeting productive and substantive’
Zelenskyy has called his meeting with Trump productive and substantive in a post Thursday on social media.
The Ukrainian president said on X that he and Trump spoke about air defence for Ukraine. Zelenskyy also wrote that he thanked the US leader for the previous package of air defence missiles, while asking for an additional one.
Our previous meeting with President Trump helped strengthen the protection of our skies, and I hope that this time we will reinforce it further as well, he said.
Trump has a long drive back to Zurich
Trump is leaving Davos, but bad weather kept his helicopter grounded, meaning he faces a drive from the mountain town to Air Force One that could take as long as two hours.
Trump says he had a good meeting with Zelenskyy
The US and Ukrainian leaders were together for about an hour in what Trump described to reporters as a good meeting.
The Russia-Ukraine war has to end, Trump said, adding, We hope it’s going to end.
I think the meeting was good, he said. US representatives will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday.
