MOSCOW, January 23. The recent talks at the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the US delegation, along with Vladimir Zelensky's visit to Davos, demonstrate the conflict is unfolding according to Russia's plan, not Ukraine's or Europe's, Russian Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said.
"Zelensky's rushed trip to Davos, ordered by the US president, and the scheduled talks at the Kremlin together prove one thing: this conflict is moving along Russia's planned path, not Ukraine's or Europe's. This is fully recognized in the US, and without their involvement negotiations would not have begun for a long time," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
In his view, the next steps will depend on military, political, and economic officials. The senator suggested that on January 23, working groups would begin targeted, expert discussions on economic matters. These talks will likely include determining the use of Russian assets frozen in the United States.
Earlier, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said that the meeting in the Kremlin between President Vladimir Putin, US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner was highly substantive, constructive, frank, and trusting. The talks, focused primarily on settling the Ukraine conflict, lasted about four hours. Moscow and Washington agreed that on January 23, the first meeting of a Russia-US-Ukraine trilateral working group on security issues would take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The talks also addressed the Board of Peace for Gaza, various regional issues, and the situation in Greenland. A bilateral economic group will continue discussing a potential $1 billion contribution to the Board of Peace from Russian assets frozen by the previous US administration, the Russian presidential aide said.