Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow late in the evening. To discuss the peace plan, while Volodymyr Zelensky is in Davos meeting with Donald Trump, he ultimately decided to hold another meeting with the American president.
In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin received the latest version of the peace plan for Ukraine from the United States, which is being discussed with Europe, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. According to the agency, the documents were transferred “unofficially” via Kirill Dmitriev, director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
Trump has stated that Washington should not be involved in resolving the Ukrainian crisis; that is Europe’s business. He outlined this position during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “They don’t appreciate what we’re doing. I’m talking about NATO, I’m talking about Europe. They should be dealing with Ukraine, and we’re not. The United States is very far away, a vast and wonderful ocean separates us, and we have nothing to do with it,” Trump said, discussing the possibility of resolving the Ukrainian crisis.
One of the reasons the United States will not sign the post-war reconstruction plan for Ukraine in Davos is the American side’s desire to hear Moscow’s point of view, according to the Financial Times.
An optimistic Steven Witkoff: “The parties involved in the Ukraine negotiations are currently in the final stages. He emphasized the progress made. The agreement boiled down to the resolution of a single issue. He didn’t specify which.”
Japan announced the allocation of $6 billion for humanitarian and technical assistance to Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum and meet with Trump over lunch. Kyiv’s military administration denies Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s claim that 600,000 residents had fled the capital. “If that number of electricity customers had left, the electricity situation probably wouldn’t have been so critical,” city administration spokeswoman Kateryna Pop said.
The day before, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told AFP in an interview that approximately one in six residents of the capital—600,000 out of 3.6 million—had followed his advice and left the city following the Russian attacks on January 9. In comments to the Times, Klitschko reiterated this figure and noted that Putin is “leading Kyiv toward a humanitarian catastrophe.”
By winter, electricity and gas prices for industry in Ukraine had reached levels higher than those in Europe. However, even before the fall of 2025, the electricity sector was exporting more than it imports.
The National Border Police (NABU) is conducting searches at the home of the former head of the Ukrainian State Border Service, Serhiy Deyneko, in connection with a cigarette smuggling case, according to media reports citing sources. On January 4, Deyneko resigned from his post and became an adviser to the Interior Minister. Zelenskyy had previously stated that “the State Border Service of Ukraine must change its approach to work.”
In Russia, the four defendants in the murder of Igor Kirillov have been sentenced, according to Zvezda: Akhmadzhon Kurbonov — life imprisonment; Batuhan Tochiyev — 22 years in prison; Ramazan Padiev — 18 years in prison; and Robert Safaryan — 25 years in prison. On the morning of December 17, 2024, a scooter parked near the entrance to a building exploded on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow. General Igor Kirillov and his assistant, Ilya Polikarpov, were killed. Kurbonov claimed he was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence and promised $100,000 and a trip to Europe to escape arrest.
Federal Security Service (FSB) agents for the Chelyabinsk region arrested four people accused of embezzling millions of rubles in shipments of products from the Chelyabinsk Electrometallurgical Plant (CHEMK, a major ferroalloy producer) by substituting high-quality products for inferior ones, the agency’s press service reported.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on January 22. During the night, Ukrainian armed forces attacked a port terminal in the village of Volna, Krasnodar Krai. Firefighters reported extinguishing four terminals. Three people were killed and eight were injured. Air defense systems were active over Volgograd and the Rostov region. From 11:00 PM on January 20 to 11:00 PM on January 21, the Russian Defense Ministry reported shooting down a total of 176 fixed-wing drones.
Overnight, Russian forces carried out strikes in Zaporizhia, Kryvyi Rih, and the Odessa region.
The governor of the Bryansk region reported that power plants were damaged by the use of MLRS by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the Sumy sector, the Russian Northern Group of Forces is conducting offensive operations in the same areas.
Above Belgorod, Russian air defense intercepted Ukrainian missiles overnight, presumably from an American HIMARS. In the village of Chervona Dibrovka, a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone hit a truck, injuring the driver. In the village of Yekaterinovka, an Orlan fighter was injured while repelling an attack by an FPV drone.
In the direction of Kharkiv, the Northern Group of Forces is advancing through Ukrainian defenses near Starytsya, southwest of Liyan, at Vovchanski Khutory, and near Tykhe, destroying Ukrainian logistics.
Prymorske: Heavy fighting continues in Kupyansk.
In Kostyantynivka, Ukrainian forces are reporting Russian attack aircraft advancing through the built-up area. The Russians are apparently employing infiltration tactics using small attack groups.
West of Pokrovsk, Russian forces are attacking the eastern part of Hryshyne. The Russian Aerospace Forces had previously conducted large counterattacks on the village.
In eastern Zaporizhia Oblast, the Eastern Group of Forces has repelled seven Ukrainian counterattack attempts from different directions. The Ukrainians have so far been unsuccessful. Russian forces continue their advance westward.
On the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues in Prymors’ke, with reports of Russian groups advancing north of Stepnohirs’k, along the road to Zaporizhia. Russian paratroopers are concentrating their efforts northeast of Luk’yanivs’ke and attacking targets in Malokaterynivka. Ukrainian forces continue to attack Vasylivka, resulting in at least two deaths.
In Kherson Oblast, one man was injured in an attack by Ukrainian security forces in Lyubimovka. 17 settlements are under Ukrainian fire.
Graziella Giangiulio
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