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Davos ultimatum
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war were at a decisive point and warned that if the leaders of both countries did not reach an agreement at that moment, "they would be stupid."
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Trump said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a real possibility of reaching an understanding and added, "I think they have reached a point where they can come together and reach an agreement and, if they don't, they would be stupid," according to EFE.
Despite the tough tone, Trump stressed there was "a tremendous hatred" between the two sides while insisting on urgency to "save millions of lives," EFE reported.
He said he planned to meet this Wednesday, January 21, 2026, with Zelensky, but the Ukrainian president announced he would not travel to Davos and would remain in Kyiv to manage the energy crisis caused by recent Russian attacks.
In parallel, the White House special envoy Steve Witkoff was scheduled to travel this Thursday to Moscow to meet with Putin, accompanied by Jared Kushner, EFE reported.
Alaska understandings
Russia accused the United States of failing to deliver on “understandings” reached between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at a summit in Alaska last August, a shift Reuters described as signaling growing frustration in Moscow.
The accusations came as Ukraine’s drone strikes intensified deep inside Russia, including two attacks last week on a Moscow oil refinery, while a Group of Seven summit featured Zelenskiy telling Western leaders, including Trump, that Kyiv was turning the tide of the war.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Sunday that only one side had remained committed to the understandings, “while the other side, as it now appears, has not been fully able to do its part”.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested the summit may have been a U.S. “ploy to buy time to rearm the Kyiv regime,” and Lavrov’s deputy Sergei Ryabkov accused the U.S. of departing from the “fundamental understandings” reached in Alaska.
Reuters reported that Moscow rejected Zelenskiy’s assessment and continued heavy attacks of its own, while Oleg Ignatov said Russia was dismayed by the absence of U.S. mediation efforts since February.
Pressure and next moves
An Austrian analyst and veteran Putin watcher, Gerhard Mangott, said Moscow’s shift reflected nervousness at a “very critical situation for the Russian economy and military” in light of a surge in Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.
“Trending: Iran-US peace deal Keir Starmer resigns FIFA World Cup 2026 Ro Khanna vs Elon Musk Entertainment news advertisement Russia accuses US of breaking Alaska summit understandings as Ukraine strikes intensify FP News Desk _•_ June 23, 2026, 23:28:01 IST advertisement Moscow says Washington has failed to follow through on understandings reached between Putin and Trump, as intensified Ukrainian strikes, stalled diplomacy and shifting US priorities fuel Russian frustration”
Mangott said, “Putin needs to give a response that is visible to the population and that demonstrates that he still has cards to play,” predicting further military escalation and a Russian push to get Trump back onside.
In parallel, Reuters reported that Putin, speaking about the recent Ukrainian strikes, said on Tuesday that “the entire West” was working for Kyiv.
Oleg Ignatov of the International Crisis Group said Russia was frustrated by the decline in U.S. diplomatic engagement after Washington shifted attention toward the Iran conflict earlier this year, and he argued that “There’s no structured diplomatic process, there’s no deal on the table, there’s actually nothing,” adding that “The Russians are very disappointed about this, they really want the Americans to engage.”
The same Reuters framing tied Moscow’s frustration to the lack of a concrete framework, while the Davos remarks by Trump set a near-term political deadline for Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement, with Witkoff and Kushner scheduled to travel to Moscow to steer negotiations back on track.
