Davos [Switzerland], January 22 : Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday warned Europe of weakening its credibility, accusing it of repeatedly recognising global threats but failing to act.
While addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF) here, he linked Europe's response to the war with the issue of accountability.
Zelenskyy said, "President Trump led an operation in Venezuela, and Maduro was arrested. There were different opinions about it, but the fact remains that Maduro is on trial in New York. Sorry, Putin is not on trial. This is the fourth year of the biggest war in Europe since World War II, and the man who started it is not only free, he is still fighting for his frozen money in Europe."
"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 again," Zelenskyy said, stressing that Europe needs to "act now".
Drawing a parallel with the movie 'Groundhog Day', Zelenskyy said the war has left Ukraine trapped in a repeating cycle.
"No one would want to live like that, repeating the same thing for weeks and months and, of course, four years. That's exactly how we live now. And it's our life," he said.
Zelenskyy said Europe had not "even tried to build its own response" on defence and security, adding that a number of countries moved to increase investments only after pressure from US President Donald Trump.
"What message does this send to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, to China?" he asked.
Zelenskyy warned that Europe's standing as a global actor was eroding as Russia continues producing missiles used to target Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
"Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today," he said, while also pointing to the absence of a proper tribunal to investigate Russian crimes.
Questioning Europe's response to Russia's oil networks, Zelenskyy asked, "Why can President Trump stop tankers from the shadow fleet but Europe doesn't? The oil funds the war against Ukraine, which helps destabilise Europe."
He also criticised Europe's approach to security signalling, saying sending "40 soldiers to protect Greenland won't make a difference".
Zelenskyy's remarks came shortly after his talks with Trump on the sidelines of the forum, marking their first in-person meeting this year.
The discussions took place as Washington continued its diplomatic push to end the war, even as Russia carried out large-scale attacks on Ukraine.
The meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump lasted about an hour and included a one-on-one conversation afterwards.
Zelenskyy later called the talks "important," saying he raised the need to strengthen air defence amid continuing strikes on energy infrastructure.
"Our teams are working almost every day," Zelenskyy said in Davos.
"The documents to end this war are nearly ready. Ukraine is acting with honesty and determination. Russia must also be forced to end this aggression."
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