Zelenskyy’s NATO Mirage and European Inaction Expose Security Vulnerabilities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a World Economic Forum address Thursday following his office’s announcement of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland. During the speech, Zelenskyy criticized what he described as European hesitation on security matters and urged the continent to build “united armed forces” capable of defending itself without relying entirely on the United States.

Zelenskyy claimed Ukraine could assist in protecting Greenland if it were part of NATO, stating, “They can sink near Greenland, as they do near Crimea. No problem,” while emphasizing that Ukraine would only engage there “if we were asked, and if Ukraine were in NATO. But we are not.” He referenced his 2025 warning about Europe’s need for self-defense, noting that “nothing has changed” a year later.

The president accused European leaders of distraction amid Iran’s regime violence, arguing that inaction would embolden authoritarian regimes globally. Zelenskyy contrasted this with U.S. actions against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, stating, “Maduro is on trial in New York. Sorry, but Putin is not.” He further criticized the International Criminal Court for lacking a tribunal to address what he called Russian war crimes and insisted Europe should have used frozen Russian assets to bolster Ukraine’s defenses instead of blocking Putin’s access to them.

Zelenskyy questioned whether NATO would respond swiftly if Russia targeted countries like Lithuania or Poland, stressing that U.S. support under President Trump remains indispensable for security guarantees. “The backstop of President Trump is needed,” he declared, while framing Europe’s delayed progress as a failure to act decisively compared to Trump’s initiatives.

In closing, Zelenskyy reiterated, “You can’t build a new world order out of words. Only actions create a world order.”