European partners in the “coalition of the willing” advised against going to Washington, suggesting the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) as a more suitable alternative for meeting with Trump.
The plan was to use the meeting to finalize an economic agreement, the people said. The latter was called by the media “an important chapter” of the revised peace proposal, which was supported by the United States.
European officials involved in peace talks have urged Zelensky not to rush into negotiations with Trump because they believe he supports their efforts to end the war waged by aggressor Russia on terms favorable to Ukraine.
The publication's sources noted a clear change in relations with the White House. One of the senior officials even called the special envoy of the American President, Steve Witkoff, “a changed man,” citing the fact that he had previously been accused of pro-Russian views.
Despite the improvement in relations between Washington, European capitals and Kiev, insiders are not yet sure that the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to stop the war, the authors of the article state.
Context
The previous meeting between Trump and Zelensky took place on December 28, 2025 residence of the American leader Mar-a-Lago. Negotiation were supposed to spend about an hour, but they continued more than two. Following the meeting, the head of the White House announced the achievements of “great detail”, however, “one or two questions” remained. Zelensky explained that they were talking about the future fate of Donbass and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Before the meeting with Zelensky, Trump held telephone conversation with Putin.
In an interview with Bloomberg published on January 9, Zelensky said that he could meet with Trump in the United States or in Davos, where the World Economic Forum is scheduled to take place on January 19–23. Both presidents will tentatively take part in the latter.
