Trump and Zelenskyy to meet as bad weather could affect the attack on Russia – National
About 4,000 buildings in Kyiv remained without heating on Wednesday and about 60 percent of the Ukrainian capital was without power, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, days after bombings of Ukraine’s power grid and as US President Donald Trump prepared to hold talks with Ukraine’s leader.
With temperatures dropping to 20 Celsius in Kyiv, Ukraine is witnessing one of its coldest winters in years, deepening the plight of Ukrainians nearly four years after Russia launched an all-out offensive.
The Trump administration’s year-long push for a ceasefire has not been successful, despite the US president issuing a series of deadlines, although efforts would continue.
Trump said at the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he will meet with Zelenskyy on Thursday.
“I want to stop it,” Trump said of the fight on Wednesday. “It’s a terrible war.”
US special envoy Steve Witkoff told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he plans to discuss peace proposals with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hold talks with a Ukrainian delegation.
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“We need peace,” Witkoff said in Davos.
But as the dispute over the future of Greenland far outweighs other transatlantic issues at Davos, talks about Ukraine’s defense seem likely to be sidelined.
Zelenskyy said last week that his delegation will try to finalize letters from American officials about a proposed solution related to post-war security guarantees and economic recovery.
He added that the US and Ukraine could sign documents in Davos this week, but on Tuesday said he would not go to Switzerland and would focus on restoring Ukraine’s power.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allocated 2.56 billion hryvnias (about 60 million dollars) to the end fund for the purchase of generators, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday urged the military leaders of 32 countries to pressure their governments to provide much-needed air defense systems to Ukraine, to help it fend off Russian airstrikes.
“Please use your influence to help your political masters do more,” Rutte said in a video message to the top when they met at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
“Look deep into your archives to see what else you can give Ukraine, especially air defenses. Now is the time,” he said.
Russia launched 97 drones and a missile into Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian military said.
In the center of Dnipropetrovsk region, the attack killed a 77-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman, according to Oleksandr Hanzha, the head of military administration in the region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air force shot down 75 Ukrainian drones in several locations.
The international airports of Krasnodar, Sochi, Gelendzhik and Saratov briefly suspended flights overnight because of the drones.
In Adygea, which is more than 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, a Ukrainian plane caused a fire in a building that injured 11 people, including two children, according to Gov. Murat Kumpilov.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
