Zelensky: 'There is agreement on security guarantees'. Friday trilateral Ukraine-Russia-USA

Zelensky continued: 'Maduro is on trial, Putin is not. This is the fourth year of the war and Putin is fighting for frozen assets in Europe and is having some success. The EU decided to freeze them indefinitely but when it was time to use them for Ukraine the decision was blocked. The same goes for the Russian war crimes tribunal. Is there a lack of time or political will? We are actively working with partners on security guarantees, I thank the partners but we need Trump's green light. Everyone says they are optimistic but there is always a but'.

It is a real attack on Europe, that of Zelensky. Instead of becoming a true global power, Europe remains 'a beautiful but fragmented kaleidoscope of small and medium-sized powers' and 'seems lost when trying to convince the American president to change'. Thus Zelensky. "Some," he continued, "try to convince the US president to change course. But he will not change. President Trump loves what he is. He says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe."

"Thank you, France! Thank you, Emmanuel Macron! This is exactly the kind of determination needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer finances Russia's war. Russian oil tankers operating near European coasts must be stopped,' writes Zelensky, who in his speech at the World Economic Forum had called on Europe to follow the example of the US, which seized Venezuelan oil tankers. "Sanctions against the entire infrastructure of the shadow fleet must be severe," Zelensky's message continued. "The ships must be seized. And wouldn't it be fair to seize and sell the oil carried by these tankers?" the Ukrainian president asks.

Zelensky also said that the first trilateral meeting between the United States, Russia and Ukraine will take place on Friday and Saturday in the United Arab Emirates. "I hope the Emirates are aware of it. They are. Sometimes we get surprises from the American side," he said in response to a question.

At the trilateral negotiations on the peace plan for Ukraine, starting tomorrow in Abu Dhabi, Axios reveals that there will be for the US the envoys Witkoff and Kushner, for Ukraine the head of the presidential office Kyrylo Budanov, the secretary of the Security Council Rustem Umerov and the long-time diplomat Sergiy Kyslytsya. For Russia there will be Russian manager and Putin's negotiator Kirill Dmitriev and the head of military intelligence.

Ukraine and the United States are discussing a proposal to Russia to introduce an energy truce, which would put an end to attacks on the Russian shadow fleet and oil deposits in exchange for a cessation of attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector, but the negotiations are unlikely to yield results. This is written by Ukrainska Pravda, referring to the Financial Times. The format Putin will propose - according to Russian sources - is similar to the talks held in Abu Dhabi last November, where Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met separately with US officials, without ever communicating directly with each other. The US and Ukraine discussed a proposal to Russia for a 'limited' ceasefire: Moscow would end attacks on energy infrastructure in return for Kiev ceasing attacks on Russian oil refineries and 'shadow fleet' tankers. Negotiations with the Kremlin on this proposal are not at an advanced stage, one of the FT's sources said. "Putin is unlikely to agree," the source added, "as he sees pressure on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as an important lever of influence." A senior Ukrainian official, on the other hand, told the newspaper that Ukraine itself is hesitant about an energy truce because its long-range drone programme has successfully struck Russian oil and gas facilities and 'shadow fleet' tankers.

Before leaving Davos, Trump emphasised the US administration's work for world peace, saying that 'after ending eight wars', we are now 'close to ending another war', a 'very difficult war', alluding to Ukraine in all likelihood.No signing of the $800 billion 'prosperity plan' was planned at the Davos meeting, as was in Ukrainian hopes before deep disagreements emerged between European capitals and Washington over Greenland and the proposed Trump-chaired Board of Peace to oversee Gaza and other global conflicts.

Another factor behind the decision not to endorse the Prosperity Plan was Russia's refusal so far to indicate its readiness to agree to the broader 20-point peace plan drawn up by the United States with input from Ukraine and Europe.

NATO Secretary Mark Rutte said he hoped the peace talks for Ukraine would be concluded soon, but that this would probably not happen before April or May. He said this while attending a breakfast organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and EastOne at the World Economic Forum in Davos, as reported by the Guardian.

Slightly more optimistic is US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is busy with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Negotiations aimed at ending nearly four years of fighting in Ukraine have made significant progress "and there is only one point left to resolve," Witkoff said before travelling to Moscow. "I think only one point remains to be resolved, we have discussed different versions of this point, and that means it can be resolved. So if both sides want to solve it, we will solve it," Witkoff said, without giving further details, during an event organised by Ukraine on the sidelines of the Davos Economic Forum.

"Dear President Zelensky, it seems to me that we will not be able to reach an understanding. I am a free man serving the Hungarian people. You are a man in a desperate situation who, for four years now, is unable or unwilling to end a war, despite the fact that the president of the United States has provided every possible assistance to do so'. This is the vitriolic reaction - via X - of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statements from the stage of the World Economic Forum in Davos. "Therefore, no matter how much you flatter me, we cannot support your war efforts," he continued. "The Ukrainian people, of course, despite your carefully chosen insults, can still count on us to continue to provide your country with electricity and fuel, and we will also continue to support the refugees arriving from Ukraine. Life itself will take care of the rest and everyone will get what he deserves,' Orban quipped, signing himself Viktor polemically. In his Swiss speech, Zelensky had said that 'every Viktor who lives on European money while selling out European interests deserves a lesson'.

"Right now, it is important to focus on where the problems really lie. And that is the war in Ukraine that is still going on," said EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, on her arrival at the informal European Council in Brussels. "We need to focus on efforts to really stop this war. We have seen a lot of pressure for peace and diplomatic efforts for peace, but they have been totally one-sided. We have not seen any concessions from the Russian side. On the contrary. They have intensified their attacks against civilians, civilian infrastructure, at a time when there is a very cold winter in Ukraine,' Kallas continued, reacting from Brussels to the accusations raised by Zelensky.

"So any kind of disagreement that allies have with each other, like Europe and America, is only benefiting our adversaries, who look the other way and enjoy the view. Hopefully we are investing in our transatlantic relations so that it is stronger to counter the threats that are actually there," the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs remarked. "Transatlantic relations have certainly taken a hit in the last week, but I think we have learned in this year that these relations are not the same as they were on the European side, we are not willing to throw away 80 years of good relations and we are willing to work for that."

Words that come on the day the EU allocated the first €10 million for a new special tribunal tasked with prosecuting Russian leaders for their role in Moscow's war against Ukraine. Kallas herself made this known via social media. "Russia's leaders are responsible for this war and must be held accountable. There can be no impunity,' she specified, making it known that she had signed a contract to this effect with the Council of Europe.