Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said Moscow would not comment on talks in Davos, but stressed the importance for Russia of receiving information on discussions between the US, European leaders and Ukraine.
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Russian state-run news agency TASS reported that US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev met on Tuesday for more than two hours on the forum’s sidelines.
The agency quoted Witkoff as saying the talks had been “very positive”.
Later, Witkoff told The Associated Press news agency that he and Kushner were planning to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian delegation on Thursday.
The Kremlin confirmed that the meeting that will take place in Moscow was on Putin’s schedule.
Derailed reconstruction plan
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported on Wednesday that tensions in the NATO alliance over Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland had derailed the signing of a Ukraine reconstruction plan, which was originally scheduled to take place in Davos.
The so-called “prosperity plan” to be agreed between Ukraine, Europe and the US was not being shelved indefinitely and could still be signed at a later date, the newspaper added.
“Nobody is in any mood to stage a grand spectacle around an agreement with Trump right now”, one official told the FT. The US president has shaken the transatlantic alliance by repeatedly threatening to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, claiming alleged “security” reasons.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned allies not to allow tensions over Greenland to distract them from the need to defend Ukraine.
“The focus on Ukraine should be the number one priority, it is crucial for European and US security”, Rutte said in a panel discussion in Davos on Wednesday.
“I am really worried that we lose sight and that in the meantime Ukrainians won’t have enough interceptors to defend themselves”.
Zelenskyy to skip Davos
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he would travel to Davos only if documents on security guarantees with the US and a “prosperity plan” were ready to be signed there.
As Russian missile and drone attacks continued to afflict Ukraine’s energy system, the president announced he would stay in Kyiv to oversee relief efforts.
In recent months, Russia has increased its airstrikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, frequently focusing on Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, as well as missile and drone attacks.
Because of the attacks, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are dealing with prolonged power and water outages due to the country’s sub-zero temperatures.
Two people were killed and one injured by Russian assaults in the city of Kryvyi Rih overnight, according to Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday. Additionally, several buildings were damaged by the missile and drone attack.
In the Chernihiv community’s Dobryanska community on Tuesday, a Russian drone was reported to have reportedly exploded close to a school. No injuries have been reported.
Source: Aljazeera
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