Davos 2026: ‘Looks lost trying to convince US President’: Zelenskyy criticises Europe’s reliance on US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a scathing assessment of Europe’s global role, accusing the continent of lacking political unity and relying too heavily on the United States for leadership, as he addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 

“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,” Zelenskyy said, nearly four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Referring to US President Donald Trump, whom he met privately before the speech, Zelenskyy said Europe was failing to command Washington’s attention as a serious geopolitical force. 

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“President Trump loves who he is, and he says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe,” Zelenskyy said. “Europe still feels more like geography, history, a tradition, not a real political force, not a great power.” 

The Ukrainian leader warned that repeated calls for unity were often hollow, driven by political timelines rather than long-term security commitments. 

“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,” he said. 

Zelenskyy noted that little progress had been made since his last Davos appearance a year ago, when he urged Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defence. 

“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,” he said. 

Calling for decisive action, Zelenskyy said Europe must move from reactive policymaking to leadership on the global stage. 

“When united, we are truly invincible, and Europe can and must be a global force, not one that reacts late,” he added. 

Separately, Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine, Russia and the United States will hold their first trilateral meetings at the technical level in the United Arab Emirates on January 23 and 24. He announced the talks during a panel discussion following his Davos speech. 

“Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow we will have a trilateral meeting. It’s better than not having any dialogue,” Zelenskyy said, expressing hope that the discussions could help pave the way toward ending the war. 

His remarks came after an hour-long meeting with Trump, who described their discussions as “good.” Zelenskyy said Ukrainian officials met with the US President on January 22, after which the American delegation is expected to travel to Russia.