Kyiv concluded a fresh round of talks with US officials without announcing an agreement but said discussions on a plan to end Russia’s war on Ukraine would resume at the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“We are working with our American partners to further advance the peace process,” Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's chief negotiator, wrote on social media on January 18 following the latest two-day session in Florida.
“We will continue to work on achieving a just and sustainable peace, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine and agreeing on the next steps.”
Umerov reiterated one of Kyiv’s key demands in any peace proposal --- security safeguards, particularly from the United States but also from Europe.
“Ukraine needs peace that guarantees security and sovereignty,” he asserted.
Talks 'Substantive'
Umerov labeled the talks -- which included US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner -- as "substantive," adding that participants also discussed an "economic development and prosperity plan."
"We agreed to continue work at the team level during the next phase of consultations in Davos," Umerov wrote of the prestigious economic gathering set for January 19-23 at the Swiss resort.
Trump has attempted to fashion a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, which have been embroiled in Europe's largest war since World War II since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The US president in November 2025 pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a 28-point peace proposal that many saw as heavily favoring Russia.
Ukraine and its European allies -- led by Britain, France, and Germany -- scrambled to develop a counterproposal, eventually putting forward a 20-point plan that took in more of Kyiv's interests, especially on security guarantees and territorial integrity.
Trump in recent days has claimed that Zelenskyy -- rather than Russian President Vladimir Putin -- was obstructing a potential peace agreement, even as Russia continues to launch nightly air attacks on Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure sites.
Zelenskyy quickly rejected the accusation.
"Overall, it is clear that the United States wants to end the war tomorrow. And we want to end it today. We are both interested in this. And we understand that the delay in signing and ending the war is coming from Russia," he said.
'Diplomacy,' Not Missile Strikes
In his nightly video address of January 18, Zelenskyy said that "if the Russians seriously wanted to end the war, they'd focus on diplomacy -- not on missile strikes, blackouts, and even attempts to damage our nuclear power plants."
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence had determined that Russia had "reconnoitered" such sites in preparation for new air strikes.
The capital, Kyiv, continues to freeze as Ukrainians struggle to cope with the relentless Russian attacks that have destroyed vast parts of the country's energy infrastructure.
More than a week after an especially large Russian barrage on January 9, many homes in the capital remain without heat or other utilities.
