NATO chief Mark Rutte has urged allies to keep their eyes on Ukraine, as tensions over Greenland between US President Donald Trump and the alliance appear to have eased following the announcement of a framework agreement on the Arctic island.
Speaking at a breakfast dedicated to the Ukraine issue at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rutte pointed to European plans to free up funds for Ukrainian defense and to US-led negotiations on a peace agreement, but also stressed that these efforts would not bring immediate results and that Russia continues to attack Ukraine with drones and missiles.
"What we need is to keep our eye on the ball on Ukraine. Let's not drop that ball," Rute said in Davos.
At the Davos forum, US envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump was considering ideas such as a "tariff-free zone" for Ukraine that could help industry develop in the war-torn country.
"The president talked about a duty-free zone for Ukraine, which I think would be an important thing," Vitkoff said at a Ukrainian breakfast on the sidelines of Davos.
Witkoff made the remarks before leaving for Moscow later today for talks with Russian officials. The US administration is working to reach a peace agreement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Witkoff told the AP yesterday that he plans to discuss peace proposals with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as speak with a Ukrainian delegation.
"We need peace," said Witkoff.
Putin confirmed late last night that Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner would be in Moscow for talks today. Putin said Moscow and Washington were discussing, among other things, the possibility of using Russian assets frozen in the United States to rebuild "territories damaged by hostilities" after an agreement is reached.
Witkoff said that after Moscow, he would go to Abu Dhabi where there would be working groups on issues such as military-to-military relations and talks on "prosperity."
US President Donald Trump announced that he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos today.
Trump said he wanted to stop the war in Ukraine, which he called "terrible."
Rutte did not address the question today of whether Greenland, which US President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to acquire, will remain part of Denmark under the "framework future agreement" the US president announced last night.
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