Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Witkoff said the sides were close to a deal to end the nearly four-year war.
“If both sides want to solve this, we’re going to get it solved,” he told the forum. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress.”
President Zelenskiy had earlier indicated he would skip the Davos gathering to remain in Kyiv, where Russian airstrikes on power infrastructure have worsened an ongoing energy crisis, leaving large parts of the capital and other regions without electricity.
However, Zelenskiy had also said he would travel if there was an opportunity to finalise an agreement with Mr Trump, including security guarantees and funding for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. On Wednesday, Mr Trump confirmed he would meet the Ukrainian leader in Davos, saying a deal was “reasonably close”.
Zelenskiy’s spokesperson confirmed the president arrived in Switzerland on Thursday and was scheduled to meet Mr Trump at 1pm local time, before addressing the forum later in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Witkoff is due to travel to Moscow later on Thursday with fellow US envoy Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law, for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussions are expected to focus on a possible settlement, the use of frozen Russian assets overseas for reconstruction, and Mr Trump’s proposal to establish a global “Board of Peace”.
The Kremlin said the meeting would take place later in the evening Moscow time, and while it declined to comment on Witkoff’s optimism, it said it welcomed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, Europe’s deadliest since World War II. Critics have warned the proposed peace board could undermine the role of the United Nations.
Financial markets responded positively to the flurry of high-level diplomacy, with Ukraine’s international bonds rising more than two cents on Thursday.
Witkoff also said he planned to visit Ukraine “soon”, though he did not give a timeframe.
The fighting, however, continued on the ground. Russian airstrikes hit several regions of Ukraine on Thursday, including the southern city of Odesa, where a 17-year-old was killed after a drone struck an apartment building, according to local authorities.
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