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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday stated that documents being drafted with Washington to end the war were close to completion, as diplomatic efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine conflict to a halt intensified on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
"The documents aimed at ending this war are nearly, nearly ready," Zelenskyy said while addressing the WEF here. Linking his remarks to high-level engagements underway at the summit, Zelenskyy said he had held talks with US President Donald Trump and that both sides were continuing work on the issue. "We met with President Trump, and our teams are working almost every day. It's not simple," he said. While describing the engagement as constructive, Zelenskyy also acknowledged the challenges involved. "My dialogue with President Trump is not simple," he said, while stressing that the meeting had been "positive". Earlier in the day, Trump held a closed-door meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Davos summit, with negotiations aimed at ending the war entering what officials described as a critical phase. According to CNN, the meeting lasted around an hour. The Ukrainian presidency later confirmed the talks had concluded, with Zelenskyy's communications adviser describing it as a "good meeting". After the interaction, Trump told reporters the talks had gone well but said an end to the war was still not immediate. He said there was "a ways to go" before the war with Russia could end. "The war has to end. We hope it's going to end. There are a lot of people being killed," Trump said. The talks came as negotiations appeared to be narrowing to a key sticking point. US envoy Steve Witkoff said discussions were "down to one issue", which a European official told CNN was linked to territory. As the process moves forward, Trump said his team would next engage Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of efforts to broker a ceasefire. "It's an ongoing process. Everybody wants to have the war end," Trump said. Alongside developments on Ukraine, Trump also used the Davos platform to launch his 'Board of Peace' initiative, signing its founding charter and describing it as a major step towards global conflict resolution. Calling it a "very exciting day", Trump said his administration was "settling eight wars" and claimed significant progress had been made towards ending the conflict in Ukraine. Zelenskyy's appearance in Davos followed Trump's comments on the prolonged war, with Trump asserting that a settlement was possible. "I believe they're at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done," Trump said. (ANI)
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