‘Will President Trump even notice Europe?’ asks Volodymyr Zelenskyy

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Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky has made a sustained critique of Europe’s vulnerability, saying the region risks sinking into irrelevance unless it invests heavily in its own defense.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelensky said on Tuesday that Donald Trump’s return to the White House meant Europe had to prepare for US disengagement from its security.

“Will President Trump also look at Europe? Does he see the need for NATO? Zelensky asked.

Ukraine’s president said Western allies saw the United States as an essential security ally, but no one thought the same about Europe.

“Are Americans worried that Europe will one day abandon them? The answer is no.”

It was “not even clear” that the Europeans would have a role in any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

“Europe deserves more than just being a presenter, its leaders have already reduced posting on X after an agreement was reached. Europe has to shape the terms of those agreements,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky supported Trump’s call for NATO members to spend as much as 5 percent of GDP on defense.

“If it takes 5 percent of GDP to cover defense, so be it.”

Zelensky had just addressed Trump’s professed desire to bring a quick end to the war – although the US president and his advisers recently said it could take six months to reach a deal, rather than the 24 hours his campaign boasted. Nor did he address Trump supporters who have called for an end to US aid to Ukraine.

He insisted that his relationship with Trump was “good,” but said that some of the president’s allies had spread misinformation about Ukraine and Russian propaganda, so it was more important for Europe to have a louder voice to counter those messages.

Zelensky repeated his appeal to Europe to provide meaningful security guarantees to Kiev, on the premise that NATO membership is beyond Ukraine’s grasp due to misperceptions in Washington and other capitals.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been talking to European partners about deploying troops to Ukraine after the ceasefire, either to train Ukrainian forces or to adequately deter Russian aggression. However, the idea has gained little traction so far.

“If security assurances are weak. . . Then you’ll just get word from Russia and they’ll come back with a war,” Zelensky said.

He said he would resist any Russian efforts to limit the size of Ukraine’s armed forces as part of any peace deal with Moscow.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the WEF earlier on Tuesday that the EU would stand by Ukraine even if the US cuts support.

“We will continue to support Ukraine without question, whatever happens next,” he said.