‘Europe looks lost’: Zelensky says Trump’s actions in Venezuela and Iran should embarrass the ‘Groundhog Day’ movie in Davos

In his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelensky listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe, which he said has left Ukraine at the mercy of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the continued US push for a peace settlement.

“Europe seems lost,” Zelensky said in his speech, urging the continent to become a global power. He compared Europe’s response with Washington’s bold steps in Venezuela and Iran.

The former comedian pointed to the movie “Groundhog Day,” where the main character has to relive the same day over and over again.

“Only 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 have to say the same words again,” Zelensky said.

Ukrainians, too, seem stuck in this reality of war, he said, “repeating the same thing for weeks, months and of course years. However, this is the way we live now. It is our life.”

Meeting with Trump

His speech came after he met behind closed doors for about an hour in Davos with US President Donald Trump, who described the talks as “very good.” Zelensky described it as “productive and meaningful.”

European countries, which see their defense future at stake in the war on their eastern borders, have provided financial, military and humanitarian support to Kiev, but not all members of the 27-nation European Union are providing assistance. Ukraine is also frustrated by political disagreements within Europe over how to deal with Russia, as well as the bloc’s sometimes slow responses.

Russia’s larger army has managed to seize about 20% of Ukraine since the start of hostilities in 2014 and its full-scale invasion in 2022. But battlefield gains along the nearly 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) front line have been costly for Moscow, and the Russian economy is feeling the consequences of the war and international sanctions.

Ukraine is short of money, and although it has significantly ramped up arms manufacturing, it still needs Western weapons. He is also short-handed on the forward line. Last week, its Defense Minister announced that about 200,000 troops had deserted and about two million Ukrainians were evading military service.

Zelensky also seeks to keep the world’s attention focused on Ukraine despite other conflicts.

Zelensky cites inaction on key decisions

He criticized Europe for being slow to act on key decisions, spending too little on defense, failing to stop Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers violating international sanctions, and refraining from using its frozen assets in Europe to finance Ukraine, among other things.

He said Europe “still looks more like geography, history and tradition, not a real political power, not a superpower.”

“Some Europeans are really strong, that’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.

The Trump administration has been pressing for a peace settlement, with its envoys shuttling between Kiev and Moscow in a flurry of negotiations that some fear could force Ukraine to reach an unfavorable agreement.

Meeting in Moscow

The Kremlin said Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow late Thursday and sat down for further talks with Putin.

Witkoff said in Davos that one of the main issues still needs to be resolved in the negotiations, without clarifying what it is. Zelensky said the future status of the territories in eastern Ukraine currently occupied by Russia has not been resolved, but peace proposals are “almost ready.”

He added that security guarantees for the post-war period, in the event of an agreement, were agreed upon between the United States and Ukraine, although they would require ratification by each country.

Zelensky said that the two-day trilateral meetings with the participation of the United States, Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to begin Friday in the United Arab Emirates.

“The Russians have to be ready to reach compromises because, you know, everyone has to be ready, not just Ukraine, and that is important for us,” he said.

The relationship between Trump and Zelensky has been fraught, and the US president has at times rebuked Putin.

Zelensky said he thanks Trump for providing US-made Patriot air defense systems that could help stop Russian missiles that repeatedly strike Ukraine’s power grid, causing suffering to civilians deprived of lighting, heat and running water. He said he asked Trump for more of them.

After Trump cut support for Ukraine, other NATO countries began purchasing weapons from the United States to donate to Kiev under special financial arrangements.

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Hrabchuk reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.