Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Switzerland to participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos and meet Swiss officials.
He wrote on the Telegram app that he will hold talks with the heads of both chambers of the parliament, heads of the parties and factions, and Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Confederation.
U.S Secretary of state, Antony Blinken, France’s President, Emmanuel Macron and key Middle East leaders are scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum, putting talks to end wars in Gaza and Ukraine at the top of the forum’s agenda.
The theme for this year’s forum, being held between 15 and 19 January in the Swiss alps, is “Rebuilding Trust.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that talks in Davos on Ukraine’s peace proposals would achieve nothing as Russia was not participating in the discussions.
“This is simply talking for the sake of talking,” Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the discussions on Ukraine at Davos.
“This process cannot be aimed at achieving any specific results for the obvious reason – we are not participating. Without our participation, any discussions are devoid of any prospect of any results.”
Dmitry Peskov
Ukraine says it will not rest until every Russian soldier is ejected from its territory and Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decreed that any talks with Russia are illegal.
His 10-point peace plan calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities and the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders with Russia.
UN Appeals For Funds To Support Ukraine
Also on Monday, the United Nations appealed for $4.2bn (£3.3bn) from donors to support Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in 2024.
UN Aid Chief, Martin Griffiths urged diplomats in Geneva not to forget Ukraine while there are many other places in the world that “grab our attention.”
Griffiths said, “We are deliberately reducing the amount of money we are asking for – not because we think the needs are diminishing or the war is getting any better for the people of Ukraine – but because we need to prioritise.”
“We understand well that we are up in a severe competition with other parts of the world, the brutal truth of the competition of aid programmes with each other,” he added.
“We continue to remain in negotiation with the Russian government about how to get access to those people who are perhaps in the most urgent of need, since it has now been two years since any real, effective, regular, reliable humanitarian aid has reached them.”
Martin Griffiths
As part of the appeal for funding, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is asking for $3.1bn to help 8.5 million people in dire need of humanitarian aid in 2024.
The UN refugee agency is seeking $1.1bn to support 2.3 million Ukrainian refugees and their host communities.
OCHA received 67% of the $3.9bn it appealed for last year. It has reduced its appeal for 2024 to prioritise the people most in need as other humanitarian crises around the globe, including in Gaza and Sudan, require urgent funding.
OCHA said more than 14.6 million people, or 40% of Ukraine’s population, will need humanitarian assistance this year due to Russia’s invasion and attacks.
Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, said, “Let us not forget. I’m very worried that two years into this crisis, we already have to say this.”
“We had to say, until recently, ‘don’t forget other crises’ because everybody was focusing on this one. This volatility is a killer, literally,” Grandi added.
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