US talks to focus on security guarantees: Zelenskiy
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that a Ukrainian delegation was heading to the United States for talks on security guarantees and the post-war recovery package, and expressed hope that the documents could be signed on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum to be held in Davos next week.
During the talks, the Ukrainian team hopes to get clarity from the United States on Russia’s stance on U.S.-backed diplomatic efforts to end the war, Zelenskiy said at a news conference in Kiev alongside Czech President Petr Pavel.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters earlier this week that he might meet Zelenskiy at the WEF; This was a meeting that the Ukrainian leader clearly wanted.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine had completed some of its work on documents outlining a “welfare package” that would unlock money for Ukraine’s costly post-war recovery, as well as U.S. security guarantees designed to stop a future Russian attack.
I briefed @prezidentpavel on the situation on the front lines and our recovery needs. Every day, Ukrainians are forced to restore basic services in the wake of Russian attacks. And each of these attacks on our energy sector and our cities clearly shows the true face of Russia… pic.twitter.com/MskQqKP4i1— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 16, 2026
Ukrainian officials have said the country will need US$800 billion ($1.2 trillion) for post-war reconstruction.
Trump, who has frequently criticized Zelenskiy, said on Wednesday that Russia was ready for a peace agreement and saw the Ukrainian leader as an obstacle to peace. This assessment stands in stark contrast to the assessments of the European allies.
While the US administration is pushing Ukraine to agree to a peace framework that it will then present to Russia, Ukraine and its European allies are trying to ensure that Ukraine is not attacked again by Russia in the future.
On Friday, Zelenskiy said Russia had halted peace efforts and cited recent attacks on Ukraine’s energy system as evidence of the Kremlin’s true intentions.
“Each of these attacks on our energy sector and our cities clearly shows Russia’s true interests and intentions: they are not interested in agreements, but in the further destruction of Ukraine,” he said on social media after the press conference.
