‘Not a great power’: Zelenskyy launches fiery attack on Europe over US reliance, Greenland and global inaction in Davos

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said that a trilateral meeting between the US, Ukraine and Russia will be held in the United Arab Emirates from Friday, January 23, a crucial step in the long-standing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The talks will continue till Saturday, Zelenskyy said, with a strong message to Russia must be ready to compromise. 

US, Ukraine, Russia to hold meeting 

Zelenskyy said, “Ukraine is working with full honesty and determination, and that brings results, and Russia must become ready too to finish this war, to stop this aggression. It will be the first trilateral meeting in the Emirates. It will be tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.” 

Striking a resolute tone, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared to end the war, stressing that the country has been gearing up for this moment and warning Russia to be ready for concrete steps towards peace. He further said that “documents aimed at ending this war” are “nearly ready,” and stressed on the fact that US and Ukrainian teams are working almost constantly to finalize plans for peace. 

Zelenskyy condemns Europe’s inaction 

In his speech in the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos, Switzerland, Zelenskyy sharply criticised Europe for being “lost” and asking for US President Donald Trump’s help while not uniting to defend itself, in a blistering address after almost four years of war with Russia. 

Referencing the current context of Trump’s claim over Greenland, Ukrainian President blamed Europe for not taking action and instead mudslinging Trump. He said, “Instead of taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide, especially when America’s focus shifts elsewhere, Europe looks lost trying to convince the US president to change.”  

On the sidelines of the WEF, Zelenskyy and Trump meeting took place in private, just before we delivered his speech.  

“President Trump loves who he is, and he says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe. Europe still feels more like geography, history, a tradition, not a real political force, not a great power,” Zelenskyy added. Emphasising on Europe’s lack of political will and power, and strong voice against its enemies.  

“Some Europeans are really strong, it’s true, but many say ‘we must stand strong’, and they always want someone else to tell them how long they need to stand strong, preferably until the next election,” Ukraine’s President said, hinting at Europe’s reliance on taking directions from Donald Trump.  

Zelenskyy started his address describing Europe’s inaction which left Ukraine in a state that felt like living through “Groundhog Day.”  

He reminded Europe of taking strong action timely, saying “Just last year here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words, ‘Europe needs to know how to defend itself.’ A year has passed and nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I must say the same words. When united, we are truly invincible, and Europe can and must be a global force, not one that reacts late,” he added. 

Zelenskyy takes up Greenland issue 

In further criticism, Zelenskyy condemned the small number of soldiers NATO sent to Greenland after Trump’s takeover claims. By not directly shaming Trump, he attacked European leaders for “waiting for America to cool down” on Greenland issue and keeping other urgent global issues at back burner.  

“If you send 30 or 40 soldiers to Greenland, what is that for? What message does it send? What’s the message to Putin? To China? And even more importantly, what message does it send to Denmark? You either declare that European bases will protect the region from Russia and China .... or you risk not being taken seriously, because 30 or 40 soldiers will not protect anything.” 

Speaking on the Iran protests and the consequent violence, Zelenskyy said, “There was so much talk about the protests in Iran, but they drowned in blood. The world has not helped enough the Iranian people.”