Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says Trump’s peace agreement could be signed at Davos next week if terms agreed

A Ukrainian delegation is heading to the United States for talks on security guarantees and a post-war recovery package, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, adding that the documents could be signed on the sidelines of next week’s World Economic Forum in Davos.

Zelensky said Kyiv also wants clarity from Washington on Russia’s position toward US-backed peace efforts to end the nearly four-year war.

A White House official told the Kyiv Independent that the Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as president Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Ukraine hopes to gain greater clarity on “documents that we have actually drafted with the American side, and on Russia’s response to all this diplomatic work,” Zelensky said at a joint news conference with Czech President Petr Pavel in Kyiv.

“We have worked well with the American side, we are just not on the same side on some issues,” he said.

Zelensky accused Moscow of stalling peace efforts, citing recent strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. “They are not interested in agreements, but in the further destruction of Ukraine,” he said.

He also urged faster delivery of air defence aid, saying some systems had run out of missiles. “We need to fight for these packages with blood, with people’s lives,” Zelensky said.

Ukrainian capital Kyiv is only left with half the electricity it needs for its population as it faces the most severe wartime energy crisis following waves of Russian attacks on its infrastructure, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Kyiv, one of Eastern Europe’s largest cities, requires 1,700 megawatts of electricity to power the services for its 3.6 million people, Klitschko told Reuters.

Klitschko said the current energy crisis was the most difficult challenge facing the capital in nearly four years since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

“It’s the first time in the history of our city that, in such severe frosts, most of the city was left without heating and with a huge shortage of electricity,” Klitschko, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, said in an interview in his office at the heart of Kyiv.

Bitter cold weather with icy rain and snow exacerbated the challenges. Nighttime minimum temperatures have dipped to -17C in Kyiv this week.

Klitschko said Ukraine’s international partners had rushed in additional generators, and repair teams had worked round the clock to restore heating following a Russian strike last week that knocked out supplies to 6,000 apartment buildings.

About 100 buildings still have no heating, he said.

“We’re not just working during the day now, we’re working at night too,” he said. “There is no such thing as the start and end of the working day for us.”

David Lammy has insisted the UK stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv.

The deputy prime minister visited Ukraine’s capital to mark the first anniversary of a 100-year partnership agreement between the two countries, aimed at fostering closer defence and trade ties among other things.

During the trip, Mr Lammy visited a site struck by Russian missiles, spoke at a summit of business leaders, and met Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The visit came as the government announced it was giving Ukraine a further £20 million to help bolster its energy infrastructure, a prime target of Russian strikes.

“I am privileged to be here to mark the first anniversary of our 100-year partnership because Ukraine’s security is our security,” Mr Lammy said during the visit.

He added: “This is more than just solidarity. Our friendship is a shared stand against Russian aggression across Europe.

“But today we go further: unlocking investment, deepening joint action, and reaffirming our leadership of the Coalition of the Willing. The UK and Ukraine stand shoulder to shoulder as true partners for freedom, committed to a just peace and a stronger, safer future for both our nations.”

Writing on social media, Mr Zelensky said he and the deputy PM had “discussed Russia’s daily missile strikes on our energy infrastructure and ways to strengthen protection against them”.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday it had secured an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to implement a localised ceasefire to allow repairs to begin on the last remaining backup power line to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

“The IAEA continues to work closely with both sides to ensure nuclear safety at the ZNPP and to prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict,” director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement on Friday.

Zaporizhzhia which is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe was occupied by Russian forces in March 2022.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down since the occupation but it still needs electricity to keep its nuclear fuel safely cooled.

A majority of Ukrainians would strongly ‌oppose withdrawing troops from the part of the eastern Donetsk region still controlled by Kyiv in exchange for European and US security guarantees, a poll released on Friday indicated.

According to the poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 54 per cent of Ukrainians categorically reject the idea of withdrawing from parts of Donbas in return for security reassurances from allies.

Some 39 per cent said they would reluctantly accept.

“Moreover, those who are ready to agree expect quite significant security guarantees. Therefore, if the level of security guarantees is lower than expected, approval of such a proposal will be even lower,” said KIIS executive director Anton Hrushetskyi.

The survey was conducted in early January among 601 respondents on Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Almost 70 per cent did not believe current negotiations would lead to a lasting peace.

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has only about half the electricity that it needs ‌as it faces its most severe wartime energy crisis following waves of Russian attacks on its infrastructure, mayor Vitali Klitschko told Reuters on Friday. Kyiv, one ‌of Eastern Europe’s largest ​cities, ​requires 1,700 megawatts of electricity to power the services for its 3.6 million people.

Mr Klitschko said the current energy crisis was the most difficult challenge facing the capital in the nearly four years since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.