A Kiev resident almost shrugged when she described her energy situation to a Ukrainian journalist on Tuesday.
“This was the eighth airstrike in recent times. When drones come close, we already know them by the noise.” This time, the explosion was very loud, she said. “They were probably missiles. Well, now we have no electricity or heat.”
The previous night, Russia again launched an intense airstrike on Ukraine. In the capital, electricity, heating and water supplies were again cut off throughout the city, while temperatures remained in the double digits below zero.
The attacks forced President Volodymyr Zelensky to call for greater economic pressure on Russia. Moreover, according to experts, Ukraine's air defense is showing more and more gaps. Zelensky also referred to this. However, his words seem to have little resonance even among Ukraine's partners, as Zelensky openly admitted to reporters.
As the situation in Greenland worsens, talks between Kiev and Washington on a possible end to the war, which were recently considered to be progressing well, are remaining on the back burner.
However, there have been contacts between the two sides. A few days ago, a Ukrainian delegation met in the United States with Steve Witkoff, a Trump confidant. Zelensky and the US president were also scheduled to meet at the World Economic Forum in Davos. So far, this has not been confirmed.
There has even been talk of a possible bilateral agreement worth $800 billion for the reconstruction of Ukraine, to which Zelensky alluded: “Both the reconstruction plan and the security guarantees are extremely important documents.”
Zelensky said he was grateful to the American and Ukrainian teams for their work in this regard. “We are in the final stages of preparing the documents. When they are ready, there will be a meeting and a trip.”
It didn't seem likely that Zelensky would travel to Switzerland anyway. Moreover, he had officially prioritized his country's energy situation. However, some observers in Ukraine see signs that Zelensky is reluctant to engage in a public showdown.
Journalist Vitaliy Portnikov put it this way on his YouTube channel: “A meeting between Trump and Zelensky would take place in the context of a confrontation between our allies, the United States and Europe. In Switzerland, it is likely that this time Europe will not limit itself to choosing only laudatory words for Trump, simply to keep him balanced.”
Zelensky has been cautious about Trump's demand to annex the autonomous island, which belongs to Denmark. He says he respects the principle of territorial integrity and wants Trump to listen to Europe.
A concern that commentator Portnikov expressed more specifically: "Trump may convey to Secretary of State Rubio why he continues to deal with European security issues, while Europe does not agree with Trump's request for Greenland. And Ukraine may soon be faced with the choice of which side to stand on the Greenland issue."/DW/
