Volodymyr Zelensky has taken a thinly veiled swipe at Donald Trump during his address in Switzerland
Volodymyr Zelensky has taken a thinly veiled swipe at Donald Trump during his address in Switzerland.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Ukrainian president said his American counterpart “loves who he is”, adding that while “he says he loves Europe”, he “will not change” or pay heed to “this kind of Europe”.
He said: “Europe looks lost trying to convince the US president to change. But he will not change. President Trump loves who he is, and he says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe.”
The Ukrainian president said in his speech that a year had passed since his last address at the same summit, when he warned leaders that Europe needs to learn self-defence, yet “nothing has changed”. He suggested that Europe shies away from acting, saying, “Too often in Europe, something else is always more urgent than justice,” before adding, “Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today. Action defines what kind of future we will have.”
With the war in Ukraine nearing its fourth year, Zelensky called for Putin to be put on trial for his war crimes. “Putin is not on trial and this is the fourth year of the biggest war in Europe since World War Two and the man who started it is not only free, he is still fighting for his frozen money in Europe,” he said.
The Ukrainian president also voiced his frustration over Western reluctance to provide Ukraine with advanced weapons systems, saying diplomats suggested that he refrain from mentioning Tomahawks to Americans so as “not to spoil the mood”. “Today they target Ukraine. Tomorrow it could be any NATO country,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper to cut Russia off from components making missiles, or destroy factories making them?”