Trump, Zelenskyy to Meet Thursday      01/22 06:13

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- About 4,000 buildings in Kyiv lacked heat Wednesday 
and nearly 60% of the Ukrainian capital was without power, Ukraine's President 
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after days of Russian bombardment of Ukraine's power 
grid and as U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to hold talks with the 
Ukrainian leader.

   Trump's delegatesalso were expected in Moscow later this week for talks with 
Russian President Vladimir Putin.

   With temperatures falling as low as minus 20 C (minus 4 F) in Kyiv, Ukraine 
is seeing one of the coldest winters in years, deepening the hardship of 
Ukrainians almost four years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

   A yearlong push by the Trump administration to stop the fighting hasn't 
yielded any breakthrough, despite the American president issuing a series of 
deadlines, though efforts were set to continue.

   Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that he would 
meet Thursday with Zelenskyy.

   "I want to stop it," Trump said of the fighting. "It's a horrible war."

   U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff told The Associated Press on Wednesday that 
he plans to discuss peace proposals with Putin as well as hold talks with a 
Ukrainian delegation.

   "We need a peace," Witkoff said at Davos.

   Putin confirmed late on Wednesday that Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared 
Kushner are expected in Moscow on Thursday for talks. The Russian leader said 
that Moscow and Washington, among other things, are discussing the possibility 
of using Russian assets frozen in the U.S. for rebuilding "territories damaged 
by the hostilities" after a peace agreement is reached.

   But with a dispute over Greenland's future largely eclipsing other 
transatlantic issues at Davos, discussions about Ukraine's defense looked 
likely to be sidelined.

   Zelenskyy said last week his envoys would try to finalize with U.S. 
officials documents for a proposed peace settlement that relate to postwar 
security guarantees and economic recovery.

   He added that the U.S. and Ukraine could sign the documents in Davos this 
week, but on Tuesday he said he wouldn't be traveling to Switzerland and would 
focus on restoring power in Ukraine.

   Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers is allocating 2.56 billion hryvnias (almost 
$60 million) from a reserve fund to purchase generators, Prime Minister Yuliia 
Svyrydenko said Wednesday.

   NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday urged the 32-nation 
alliance's military chiefs to press their national governments to supply 
desperately needed air defense systems to Ukraine, helping it fend off Russia's 
aerial attacks.

   "Please use your influence to help your political masters to do even more," 
Rutte said in a video message to top brass as they met at NATO's Brussels 
headquarters.

   "Look deep into your stockpiles to see what more you can give to Ukraine, 
particularly air defense interceptors. The time really is now," he said.

   Russia launched 97 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, the 
Ukrainian air force said.

   In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, attacks killed a 77-year-old man and a 
72-year-old woman, according to Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the regional military 
administration.

   Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 75 Ukrainian drones 
over several regions.

   The international airports of Krasnodar, Sochi, Gelendzhik and Saratov 
briefly suspended flights overnight because of the drones.

   In Adygea, more than 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the Ukrainian border, a 
Ukrainian drone caused a fire at an apartment building that injured 11 people, 
including two children, according to Gov. Murat Kumpilov.