Will direct negotiations between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine take place?

After the meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States - Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump - in Davos, Switzerland, which took place during the World Economic Forum, information spread that the Ukrainian and Russian leaders might meet soon with US mediation.

Returning from Davos to Washington, Trump stated on board the plane that there was a period when Putin and Zelensky were not open to negotiations. "Now, I think, both want to reach an agreement. We will find out," noted the American leader.

Have Putin and Zelensky really moved closer to an agreement? Experts believe that in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, not only territorial issues remain unresolved, but also some strategic questions.

At the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during Senate hearings reported that the US President's Special Representative Steven Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will not participate in the next stages of conflict resolution. This indicates that the parties have reached a stage where Putin and Zelensky will be forced to conduct direct negotiations without intermediaries.