‘It’s all about the land’: Zelenskyy says Ukraine to hold talks with US and Russia

“It’s all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet,” he told reporters.

The talks come after Zelenskyy met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the forum. Trump said the meeting was “good” as diplomatic efforts appeared to gather pace.

At the same time, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff said he was hopeful about reaching an agreement.

“I think we’ve got it down to one issue and we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it’s solvable,” he said before leaving Davos.

Witkoff did not give details, but Zelenskyy later said the disagreement centred on the status of eastern Ukraine. He stressed that Kyiv could not be the only side expected to compromise.

“The Russians have to be ready for compromises, not only Ukraine,” he said.

Under a US proposal, Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region could become a demilitarised free economic zone, with security guarantees provided to Kyiv in return.

Witkoff said he would travel from Moscow to Abu Dhabi, where working groups would discuss military arrangements and economic matters.

Zelenskyy also said he had reached an understanding with Trump on future US security guarantees for Ukraine if a deal is reached. He said any agreement would need approval from the US Congress and Ukraine’s parliament.

While Zelenskyy said the UK- and France-led “Coalition of the Willing” had agreed to deploy forces to help monitor a deal, he said US backing would still be essential.

“No security guarantees work without the US,” he said.

In his speech in Davos, Zelenskyy criticised European leaders for what he described as a lack of political will in responding to Russia.

“There are endless internal arguments that stop Europe from uniting and speaking honestly enough to find real solutions,” he said.

He contrasted this with the United States under President Trump, saying: “President Trump loves who he is, and he says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe.”

Zelenskyy had travelled overnight to attend the forum after initially cancelling his visit due to Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure. Large parts of Kyiv remain without heating, water or electricity during winter conditions.

Last month, Zelenskyy said a 20-point US peace plan was 90% complete. As part of the plan, Ukraine has offered to pull back troops by up to 40km from parts of the Donetsk region it still controls, if Russia does the same.

Another unresolved issue is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since 2022.

The Kremlin said discussions with US envoys would continue but did not comment on the chances of a deal.