U.S. President Donald Trump said his message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin was that the war in Ukraine “has to end,” after what he described as “good” talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos on Thursday, as Washington steps up shuttle diplomacy to push for a settlement in the nearly four-year-old conflict.
The hour-long meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum came amid weeks of frenetic contacts between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, as Kyiv faces pressure from Trump to secure peace despite few signs that Moscow is ready to stop fighting.
“I had a very good meeting with President Zelenskyy. Everybody wants to have the war end,” Trump told reporters after the talks. “I think the meeting with President Zelenskyy was good. It’s an ongoing process.” He said U.S. envoys were heading for Moscow talks with Putin, adding that a deal was “reasonably close,” although he did not provide further details on the substance of the conversation.
Zelenskyy also described the talks as “good,” according to his spokesperson.
Ukraine seeks security guarantees, reconstruction funding
