Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he expects to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Switzerland and claimed that a deal to end the war in Ukraine is now “reasonably close,” raising hopes (and questions) about whether a breakthrough is imminent nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Speaking after his address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president said he believed both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin were now ready to compromise. Trump said he had been in contact with Putin, whom he described as wanting to end the war, and suggested Zelensky was also prepared to do the same.
“I think they’re at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done,” Trump said. “We have to get it stopped.”
Trump initially told reporters he would meet Zelensky later on Wednesday, before revising that timeline to Thursday. A source familiar with Zelensky’s schedule disputed the earlier timing, underscoring the uncertainty that still surrounds the talks.
Trump and Zelensky // Shutterstock
The US president acknowledged that efforts to broker peace had stalled before, blaming what he called “abnormal hatred” between the two leaders. Just last week, Trump said that Zelensky had been the main obstacle to an agreement. On Wednesday, however, his tone was more optimistic, and characteristically blunt. “If they don’t [make a deal], they’re stupid,” he said.
Trump also said Putin had accepted an invitation to join his proposed “Board of Peace,” an initiative he says would help resolve major global conflicts. The Kremlin struck a more cautious note, with Putin saying Russia was still studying the proposal and suggesting it appeared more focused on the Middle East than Ukraine.
Putin added that Russia would be prepared to contribute $1 billion to the board using frozen Russian assets, a suggestion likely to face resistance from Ukraine, which argues those funds should instead be used to rebuild the country.
Ukraine is set to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion on February 24. Whether Trump’s latest push can turn long-running diplomacy into a durable ceasefire remains unclear, but his comments in Davos signalled a renewed effort, and a belief, at least on his part, that the war may be closer to an end than it has been in years.