Zelenskyy’s Claim on Russian Disinterest in Diplomacy Condemned
Ukraine’s top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, on Sunday said talks with U.S. officials on a resolution of the nearly four-year-old war with Russia would continue at the World Economic Forum this week in Davos.
Umerov, writing on Telegram, said two days of talks in Florida with a U.S. team including envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, focused on security guarantees and a postwar recovery plan for Ukraine. Umerov gave no indication whether any agreements were achieved at the meeting.
“We agreed to continue work at the team level during the next phase of consultations in Davos,” Umerov wrote. The two sides “discussed in depth” the two issues, “focusing on practical mechanisms and carrying out and implementing them,” Umerov said.
He said his delegation had reported on Russian strikes last week that badly damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and left hundreds of apartment buildings with no heating or electricity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated it was important to outline the dire effects of the Russian strikes, as they demonstrated that Russia was not interested in diplomacy.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence determined that Russia was conducting reconnaissance on key sites in preparation for strikes, including targets linked to Ukraine’s nuclear power stations. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Saturday there was evidence Russia was considering attacks on power substations supplying nuclear power stations. Russia has made no comment on the allegations.
