Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior officials at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland, January 22, 2026

EA-War and Politics 24 VideoCasts: Ukraine and Russia — Has Putin Overplayed His Hand?

Thursday’s Coverage: Zelensky Meets Trump in Davos; Putin Hosts Trump Envoys Witkoff and Kushner

UPDATE 0831 GMT:

A “senior aide” explains why Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Europe in his speech to the Davos World Economic Forum.

The aide said Zelensky wants to spur Europe into action. The continent “has so much power” but consistently underestimates it.

“Every time we try to do something with Europe”, Ukraine faced reluctance as the Europeans looked to the US for a “positive” signal.

“It’s strange,” the official summarized. “Europe is a great power, but it needs the courage to admit it.”

UPDATE 0731 GMT:

The European Union has allocated the first €10 million for a special tribunal to investigate Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine and the responsibility of senior Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin.

EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas announced the signing of an agreement with the Council of Europe on Thursday.

The Special Tribunal was established last June. Modeled after the Nuremberg Tribunal, it will investigate Russia’s use of military force, collect evidence, and prepare indictments against senior political and military leaders.

Officials have said the tribunal plans to prosecute at least 20 people.

UPDATE 0723 GMT:

Vladimir Putin is maintaining his demands for Ukraine’s capitulation, including the surrender of all of the Donetsk region in the east of the country.

Senior advisor Yuri Ushakov said after the late-night talks in the Kremlin with Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner:

We, as Vladimir Putin emphasized, are sincerely interested in resolving the Ukrainian crisis through political and diplomatic means. But until that happens, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the goals set for the special military operation on the battlefield, where the Russian armed forces hold the strategic initiative.

Ushakov said the talks with Trump’s envoys lasted four hours and were “extremely frank and confidential”.

UPDATE 0624 GMT:

Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal spoke on Thursday about “the most difficult day for the energy system since the blackout in November 2022”, following Russia’s latest attacks on critical infrastructure and temperatures have remained below -10C (14F).

“The situation is extremely serious….The most difficult situation is in Kyiv, the Kyiv Oblast, and the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast,” Shmyhal said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says 2,600 residential buildings, around 25% of the capital’s housing supply, remain without heating.

Home to more than 3 million people, Kyiv is struggling to restore power, heating, and water following massive Russian missile and drone attacks on January 9 and January 20.

Most of the affected buildings are in eastern Kyiv, on the left bank of the Dnipro River.

UPDATE 0617 GMT:

One civilian was murdered and 10 injured by four Russian strikes on the town of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine.

In Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone and missile attack injured 13 people, including four children. Apartment buildings, schools, and critical infrastructure were damaged.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the US will gather in Abu Dhabi in the UAE on Friday.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the two-day meeting on Thursday at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland. It was confirmed early Friday after a late-night conference between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s envoys, real estate developer Steve Witkoff.

It is not clear if Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet face to face. Nor is it established if the discussions will be on the basis of Ukraine-Europe proposals to end Russia’s 4-year, full-scale invasion.

Zelensky said the Ukraine-Europe document on US security guarantees for Kyiv is “finished”; however, it still needs to be formally signed by Donald Trump and him and to be confirmed by the Ukrainian Parliament and the US Congress. The business deal with the US is progressing and will be helpful for reconstruction.

The remaining issue with Russia and “the most difficult”, the President said, is “all about the eastern part of our country”. The trilateral meeting will discuss different “variants”.

In late October, Putin’s top financial advisor Kirill Dmitriev, Witkoff, and Kushner crafted a 28-point ultimatum to Kyiv which included Russia’s seizure of all of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The rest of the country would be kept weak with no effective security guarantees or military assistance from the West.

Witkoff said, before travelling from Davos to Moscow, that there was one issue to be resolved. He did not specify what it is or refer to the Ukraine-Europe proposals.

After the Kremlin session, it was confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner will meet the Russian delegation — led by Gen. Igor Kostyukov, director of Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU — on Friday.

At Davos, Zelensky spoke of his “good” and “positive” meeting with Trump. He then challenged Europe in his speech to the Forum:

What’s missing time or political will; too often in Europe something else is always more urgent than justice….

Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today, action that will define what kind of future we will have….

If Putin decides to take Lithuania or strike Poland, who will respond? Right now, NATO exists thanks to believe that the United States will act, that it will not stand aside and will help. But what if it doesn’t?