Ukraine is facing severe power outages and one of its coldest winters, with about 4,000 Kyiv buildings without heating and nearly 60% of the capital without electricity after Russian strikes on the power grid. President Zelenskyy is coordinating with U.S. officials on proposed peace and recovery documents, while President Trump said he will meet Zelenskyy in Davos. NATO and allied leaders have been urged to supply more air-defense systems as Russian drone and missile attacks continue, causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.
Trump to Meet Zelenskyy as Ukraine Endures a Bitter, Power-Starved Winter After Russian Strikes
CORRECTS DATE In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, recruits perform drills at a training ground in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Roughly 4,000 buildings in Kyiv remained without heating on Wednesday, and nearly 60% of the capital was without electricity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after days of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid. As temperatures plunged to around -20 C (-4 F), the outage deepened civilian hardship during one of Ukraine’s coldest winters in years, almost four years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.
Diplomacy Ahead of Davos Meeting
U.S. President Donald Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he planned to meet with Zelenskyy on Thursday. “I want to stop it,” Trump said Wednesday of the conflict. “It’s a horrible war.”
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff told The Associated Press he intends to discuss peace proposals with Russian President Vladimir Putin and to meet with a Ukrainian delegation in Davos. “We need a peace,” Witkoff said.
Domestic Response and Relief Efforts
President Zelenskyy said his envoys had been working with U.S. officials to finalize documents outlining a proposed peace settlement, postwar security guarantees and an economic recovery plan. Though there had been talk of signing such documents in Davos, Zelenskyy said Tuesday he would remain focused on restoring power at home and would not travel to Switzerland.
CORRECTS DATE In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, recruits perform drills at a training ground in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers announced an allocation of 2.56 billion hryvnias (about $60 million) from a reserve fund to purchase generators, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said. The funds aim to provide emergency power to hospitals, critical infrastructure and residential areas.
Calls for More Air Defenses
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte urged NATO military leaders to press their national governments to supply urgently needed air-defense systems to help Ukraine repel Russia’s aerial attacks. In a video message to military chiefs meeting at NATO’s Brussels headquarters, Rutte called on leaders to “look deep into your stockpiles” and provide additional interceptors and other defensive equipment.
Fighting and Civilian Toll
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 97 drones and a ballistic missile overnight. Regional officials said attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed a 77-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces shot down 75 Ukrainian drones across several regions.
Several Russian airports, including Krasnodar, Sochi, Gelendzhik and Saratov, briefly suspended flights due to drone activity. In the Russian republic of Adygea—more than 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the Ukrainian border—local officials said a Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at an apartment building that injured 11 people, including two children.
Reporting note: Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this story. Follow AP’s ongoing coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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