The World Economic Forum in Davos is usually where the big handshakes happen, but this year, the most important deal was the one that didn’t get signed. The highly anticipated $800 billion “prosperity plan” for Ukraine’s reconstruction has been officially put on ice. The reason? A sudden and bizarre diplomatic spat over Donald Trump’s renewed interest in buying Greenland, which has left NATO allies scrambling and the official agenda in tatters.
The Quiet Meeting in the Alps
While the public signing ceremony was scrapped, the real action moved behind closed doors. U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff spent over two hours huddled with Russia’s Kirill Dmitriev on the sidelines of the forum. Witkoff didn’t mince words afterward, calling the secret talks “very positive.” It’s a clear signal that while the formal diplomatic track is stalled, the backchannel between Washington and Moscow is wide open.
The envoys aren’t just talking in Switzerland; they are taking the show on the road. Witkoff confirmed to reporters that he and Kushner are flying directly to Moscow on Thursday to sit down with Vladimir Putin himself. The Kremlin has already cleared a spot on Putin’s schedule. This suggests that the heavy lifting on any potential peace deal, or at least the next phase of it, is going to happen in the Russian capital, far away from the cameras and champagne of Davos.
The Arctic Elephant in the Room
It sounds almost like a bad joke, but the “Greenland issue” is causing serious headaches. Reports suggest that Trump’s aggressive push to acquire the autonomous territory has shaken the NATO alliance to its core. One official frankly admitted that “nobody is in any mood” to stage a grand photo-op right now. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is clearly frustrated, practically begging allies not to let an Arctic real estate dispute distract them from the war on Europe’s eastern flank.
Zelenskyy Stays Home
For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the delay was the final straw. With no “security guarantees” or reconstruction money ready to sign, he decided to skip the Davos trip entirely. Instead of rubbing elbows with global elites, he remained in Kyiv, where the reality is far grimmer. Russian drones and missiles are still hammering the country’s energy grid, leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians shivering in sub-zero temperatures without power or water.