Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday raged at ‘fragmented’ Europe’s dithering in the face of Russian aggression in a fiery speech in Davos.
The Ukranian president accused the continent of being ‘lost’ as its ‘kaleidoscope of small and middle powers’ failed to stand up to bullying – in an echo of Donald Trump‘s frequent criticism of its leaders.
The message, which stunned political and business elites gathered at the World Economic Forum, comes at a sensitive time in peace negotiations.
Trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia are set to take place in Abu Dhabi today although Nato chief Mark Rutte and Britain’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell are more cautious about chances of success than American negotiators.
Ukraine remains under ferocious attack from Vladimir Putin‘s invading armies nearly four years after Moscow‘s tanks rolled across the border and is going through a bitter winter of -20C temperatures starved of energy because of Russian attacks on infrastructure.
But while Europe has provided billions in funding to keep the country’s economy alive – and munitions to keep its guns firing – Mr Zelensky, it seems, believes the help it has delivered falls short of the lofty rhetoric from the continent’s leaders.
His angry speech appeared to signal that he has started to lose patience. Applauded as he walked on stage, Mr Zelensky launched into a bitter comparison of the situation with the film Groundhog Day – in which a TV weatherman is forced to repeat the same day over and over again.
‘No one would want to live like that – repeating the same thing for weeks, months and, of course, for years,’ he said. ‘And yet that’s exactly how we live now.
Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump shaking hands during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026
Vladimir Putin welcomes US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 22, 2026
‘Every forum like this one proves it: 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 position where I must say the same words but why?’
He accused leaders of inaction over US threats against Greenland – and that they simply hoped it would pass – and of being too late to respond to the protests in Iran and the repressive response from the mullahs, leaving thousands ‘drowned in blood’.
Mr Zelensky said Europe had failed to build a response to the world’s bullies and attacked the failure to stop the flow of Russian oil or pursue a war crimes prosecution of Mr Putin. And he railed against the decision to block Ukraine from using Russian assets frozen in Europe to help Ukraine defend itself.
Mr Zelensky welcomed signs that the UK and France were ready to deploy their forces to enforce a hoped-for peace deal but said no security guarantees could work without the support of Mr Trump and America.
He added: ‘Europe loves to discuss the future but avoids taking action today – action that defines what kind of future we will have.’
And he said every European leader was worried about what would happen if the US fails to come to the aid of the continent in the face of a Russian attack.
‘Europe needs to know how to defend itself,’ said Mr Zelensky.
‘If Europe is not seen as a global force, if its actions don’t scare bad actors, then Europe will always be reacting – catching up with new dangers and attacks.
A plane carrying U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner stands on the tarmac upon the arrival at Vnukovo International Airport before a scheduled meeting with a Russian delegation in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026
The meeting came ahead of planned talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine in the United Arab Emirates on Friday
‘In Europe, there are endless internal arguments and things left unsaid that stop Europe from uniting and speaking honestly enough to find real solutions.
‘And too often, Europeans turn against each other – leaders, parties, movements and communities – instead of standing together to stop Russia. Instead of becoming a truly global power, Europe remains a beautiful but fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers.’
The speech came after Mr Zelensky met Mr Trump behind closed doors for about an hour in Davos. Mr Trump described the talks as ‘very good’, while Mr Zelensky said they had been ‘productive and meaningful’.
Earlier, Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff struck a bright tone on the prospects for peace talks.
He told an annual Ukrainian breakfast event in Davos: ‘We’re at the end now and I actually am optimistic. I think we’ve got it down to one issue… it’s solvable.’
But, at the same event, Mr Rutte took a more guarded stance, saying: ‘Today, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv but also so many smaller cities in Ukraine are being hit by Russan missiles, by Russian drones… So what we need is to keep our eyes on the ball of Ukraine – let’s not drop that ball and that means: great, peace talks, fantastic.
‘We will do everything to conclude them successfully but that will not happen tomorrow. And they need interceptors, military support tomorrow.’
Britain’s Mr Powell said there had been no evidence from Mr Putin that he was prepared to compromise or negotiate.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (left-right), pictured in Davos on Thursday
A residential building damaged by a Russian strike in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on Thursday
‘He’s very indecisive. He’s a judo player – keeps his options open. So what we have to do is apply pressure on president Putin – financial pressure, military pressure and have a deadline where he has to make a decision,’ he said.
Mr Powell added: ‘This won’t be solved tomorrow. It’s important to push as Steve [Witkoff] is doing… We have to remain committed to it and most of all we have to find a way for Putin seriously engaging.’
Last night, Mr Witkoff and fellow US envoy Jared Kushner flew from Davos to Moscow to meet Mr Putin for further talks on ending the war.
