Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday canceled his planned appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and stayed in Kyiv as Russian strikes crippled the country’s energy grid — leaving tens of thousands without heat in the dead of winter.
“Undoubtedly, I choose Ukraine in this case, rather than the economic forum,” Zelensky said, explaining his decision to remain in the war-scarred capital.
The choice came amid “large-scale brownouts” in Kyiv and other cities, the Ukrainian president said, following a fresh Russian attack on critical infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky canceled his planned appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, after Russian strikes left tens of thousands without heat in the dead of winter. Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images“In the capital alone, more than 5,600 apartment buildings are without heat following the Russian strike,” Zelensky tweeted Tuesday.
President Trump and European leaders are heading to the Swiss Alps, where Trump was planning to host an event for his newly announced Gaza Board of Peace.
He invited Zelensky’s enemy Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit on the board.
Zelensky underscored that Davos meetings would only be worthwhile if they delivered real, concrete results, particularly on security guarantees and economic aid.
“Meetings with America should always end with concrete results to strengthen Ukraine or to move closer to ending the war,” he said.
Zelensky urgently called for air defense systems to protect civilians and infrastructure, noting that a recent shipment of US-made air defense weapons helped prevent the attack from being much worse.
A worker from the NGO World Central Kitchen distributes hot food for people in a residential area of Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 17, 2026. MARIA SENOVILLA/EPA/Shutterstock“Had the deliveries been delayed even by one more day, the consequences of the strike would have been much more severe,” Zelenksy said.
Ukraine was still represented at the elite summit by a senior delegation, including National Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, presidential office head Kyrylo Budanov, and parliamentary leader Davyd Arakhamia, meeting with top advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Back in Ukraine, the attacks targeted substations and facilities linked to nuclear power plants, worsening blackouts and even disrupting water supplies in parts of Kyiv as Russia weaponizes winter.
