US officials will meet with Ukrainian officials on January 21 and 22 and with Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 22 to continue peace negotiations. US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met with lead Russian negotiator and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 20, and US President Trump stated on January 21 that he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the forum on January 22.[1] Witkoff stated that he and former Senior Advisor to the US President Jared Kushner would meet with Ukrainian officials, including Ukrainian Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, on the evening of January 21 and will meet with Putin in Russia on January 22.[2] Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner will meet with Putin on January 22.[3] Witkoff stated that negotiations on the 20-point peace plan are “down to land deals now.”[4] Witkoff stated that he and Kushner will travel to the United Arab Emirates to meet with “working groups” after the meeting in Russia.
The Kremlin remains committed to its original war aims and is not publicly showing any new willingness to commit to meaningful compromises to end its war against Ukraine. Bloomberg reported on January 21 that unspecified sources stated that Putin received a draft peace plan earlier in January 2025 from Dmitriev and that the Kremlin viewed the proposal as a significant step forward even though it fell short of a finalized agreement.[5] The sources noted that many issues that are important to Russia are either not included in the draft plan or framed in “unsatisfactory” ways. Bloomberg’s sources stated that US recognition of occupied Crimea and other unspecified occupied territories of Ukraine as under Russian control is a priority for Putin and that Russia remains opposed to the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine as part of future security guarantees for Ukraine. The sources stated that Russia is seeking protections for the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church (a Kremlin-controlled arm of influence) in Ukraine.
Russian Security Council Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev stated on January 21 that Russia is “reclaim[ing] its own lands” in Ukraine through the war and Russia’s illegal, sham referendums in occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts in 2022.[6] Medvedev claimed that these lands and people have been part of Russia “for centuries.” Medvedev’s statements are in line with repeated Kremlin statements, including those calling for Ukraine to cede “Novorossiya” to Russia — referring to an invented region that Kremlin officials often claim is “integral” to Russia and that includes not only Crimea and the four oblasts that Russia has illegally annexed, but also Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, and Odesa oblasts. The US-proposed 28-point peace plan only allowed for Russian occupation of Crimea, all of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, and the currently occupied parts of Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts, requiring Russia to cede occupied territories outside of these five regions, including in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.[7]
Russia’s position remains fundamentally unchanged, as Kremlin officials have repeatedly called for a future peace settlement to address the alleged “root causes” of the war, including Ukraine’s alleged discrimination against Russian-speakers and the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.[8] Kremlin officials have also repeatedly rejected the use of foreign troops in security guarantees for post-war Ukraine — a core element of the peace plan that the Trump administration has thus far negotiated. The Kremlin is attempting to position itself as a reliable negotiating partner interested in peace while indicating that its commitment to achieving its original war aims is unchanged.
Key Takeaways
- US officials will meet with Ukrainian officials on January 21 and 22 and with Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 22 to continue peace negotiations.
- The Kremlin remains committed to its original war aims and is not publicly showing any new willingness to commit to meaningful compromises to end its war against Ukraine.
- Reports of the draft list of the top United Russia candidates for the September 2026 State Duma elections have reportedly generated internal Kremlin discussions that not only reflect factional maneuvering to gain power but also show the Kremlin’s concern about the Russian public’s attitude toward a protracted war.
- The United States seized another oil tanker involved with shipping sanctioned Russian oil off the coast of Venezuela.
- Ukrainian forces recently advanced in western Zaporizhia Oblast. Russian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.