Putin meets Trump's envoys as Kremlin says Ukraine settlement hinges on
territory
[January 23, 2026]
By KAMILA HRABCHUK and KOSTYA MANENKOV
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine
with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys during marathon overnight
talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue needs to be
resolved to reach a peace deal.
The Kremlin meeting, which lasted past 3 a.m. Friday, came hours after
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply criticized his European
allies Thursday for what he cast as their slow and fragmented response
to Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion that he said has left
Ukraine at the mercy of Putin amid an ongoing U.S. push for a peace
settlement.
Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who participated in
Putin’s meeting with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,
said "it was reaffirmed that reaching a long-term settlement can’t be
expected without solving the territorial issue,” a reference to Moscow’s
demand that Kyiv withdraws its troops from the areas in the east that
Russia illegally annexed but never fully captured.
Zelenskyy said after meeting Thursday with Trump in Davos, Switzerland,
that the future status of land in eastern Ukraine currently occupied by
Russia is unresolved but that peace proposals are “nearly ready.”
On a positive note, Ushakov told reporters that it was agreed that
Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. officials will hold talks on security issues
related to a prospective peace deal in the United Arab Emirates on
Friday.
Ushakov noted that Trump’s envoys informed Putin about Trump’s meeting
with Zelenskyy, as well as earlier discussions they had with Ukrainian
and European officials. The Kremlin talks that he described as “frank,
constructive” and “fruitful” began when it was just before midnight in
Moscow and lasted nearly four hours.
Witkoff and Kushner were joined by Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the
Federal Acquisition Service who serves as a senior adviser on Trump’s
Board of Peace that Russia has been invited to join. While Russia is
considering the invitation, Putin reaffirmed his offer to send $1
billion to the board from Russian assets frozen in the U.S. to help fund
rebuilding Gaza.
Asked about Putin’s proposal to use Russia’s frozen assets for the
contribution to the Board of Peace, Trump said he thought it was fine.
“If he’s using his money, that’s great,” he said
Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy met with Trump behind closed doors for about an hour at the
World Economic Forum in Davos, describing the meeting as “productive and
meaningful.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington
from Davos, Trump said his meeting with Zelenskyy went well, adding that
both Putin and Zelenskyy want to reach a deal and that “everyone’s
making concessions” to try to end the war.
He said the sticking points in talks remain the same as they’ve been
during talks held during the past six or seven months, noting
“boundaries” was a key issue. “The main hold-up is the same things
that’s been holding it up for the last year,” he said.
Russia’s bigger army has managed to capture about 20% of Ukraine since
hostilities began in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of 2022. But the
battlefield gains along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front
line have been costly for Moscow, and the Russian economy is feeling the
consequences of the war and international sanctions.
Ukraine is short of money and, despite significantly boosting its own
arms manufacturing, still needs Western weaponry. It is also
short-handed on the front line. Its defense minister last week reported
some 200,000 troop desertions, and draft-dodging by about 2 million
Ukrainians.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greet U.S. President Donald
Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff, centre left, Jared Kushner, second
right, and Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the Federal Acquisition
Service at the General Services Administration, at the Senate Palace
of the Kremlin, in Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Alexander
Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Zelenskyy blasts European allies
Addressing the World Economic Forum after meeting with Trump,
Zelenskyy listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe.
European countries, which see their own future defense at stake in
the war on its eastern flank, have provided financial, military and
humanitarian support for Kyiv, but not all members of the 27-nation
European Union are helping. Ukraine also has been frustrated by
political disagreements within Europe over how to deal with Russia,
as well as the bloc’s at times slow-moving responses.
“Europe looks lost,” Zelenskyy said in his speech, urging the
continent to become a global force. He contrasted Europe’s response
with Washington’s bold steps in Venezuela and Iran.
The former comic actor referred to the movie “Groundhog Day,” in
which the main character must relive the same day over and over
again.
“Just last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words:
Europe needs to know how to defend itself. A year has passed. And
nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I must say
the same words again,” Zelenskyy said.
He chided Europe for being slow to act on key decisions, spending
too little on defense, failing to stop Russia’s ”shadow fleet” of
oil tankers that are breaking international sanctions, and balking
at using its frozen assets in Europe to finance Ukraine, among other
things.
More talks in the UAE
Zelenskyy said two days of trilateral meetings involving the U.S.,
Ukraine and Russia are due to begin Friday in the United Arab
Emirates.
“Russians have to be ready for compromises because, you know,
everybody has to be ready, not only Ukraine, and this is important
for us,” he said.
Ushakov, the Kremlin aide, confirmed that a Russian delegation will
take part in Friday’s meeting in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi. He
added that during the Kremlin meeting the U.S. voiced hope that it
will “open prospects for advancing on the entire range of issues
linked to ending the conflict and reaching a peaceful settlement.”
Ushakov said that the Russian delegation will be led by the chief of
military intelligence, Adm. Igor Kostyukov. He added that Putin’s
envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, will hold separate talks on economic issues
with Witkoff in Abu Dhabi.
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Hrabchuk reported from Kyiv, Ukraine and Manenkov from Davos,
Switzerland. Josh Boak on Air Force One, Meg Kinnard in Houston and
Ali Swenson from Washington contributed to this report.
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