On 16 January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Zelenskyy said on Twitter that they discussed the situation on the battlefield, Ukraine's defence needs, and further strengthening of the Ukrainian air defence system with the NATO Secretary General. 

Розпочав роботу в Давосі із зустрічі з Генеральним секретарем НАТО Єнсом Столтенбергом. Обговорили багато важливих питань.

Ситуація на полі бою, оборонні потреби нашої держави, подальше посилення української системи протиповітряної оборони, підготовка наступного саміту НАТО у… pic.twitter.com/FMhPZFW5Zh

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 16, 2024

The Ukrainian president informed Stoltenberg about large-scale Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and hromadas that have occurred recently [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories – ed.].

In addition, the meeting discussed preparations for the next NATO summit in Washington.

The Office of the President of Ukraine reported that Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine expects decisions to be made at the Washington summit to bring it closer to NATO membership.

It also emphasised the importance of signing a bilateral cooperation agreement on security between Ukraine and the United Kingdom within the framework of the joint G7 declaration adopted at the previous NATO summit in Vilnius. 

Zelenskyy thanked the NATO Secretary General for the Alliance's steadfast support in defending against Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy arrived in Switzerland on 15 January and had already held talks with the country's president, Viola Amherd. After the meeting, Amherd confirmed the country's intentions to organise a peace conference on Ukraine at the highest level.

On 16 January, Zelenskyy will meet with the head of the European Commission and deliver a special speech at the World Economic Forum.