At Davos this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged European leaders to raise defense spending and secure their own safety, arguing that a stronger European defense makes Europe a credible, indispensable global partner and less likely to be sidelined in any future peace talks with Ukraine, even as a new U.S. administration shapes the negotiations, according to Reuters.
During his Davos remarks, Zelenskiy asked pointed questions about how the next U.S. president will view Europe, whether NATO remains essential, and whether EU institutions will be treated with appropriate respect. He contended that Europe should not allow itself to be pushed into the background by allies or by shifts in American policy, arguing that the continent’s security cannot be left to others, according to AP.
In his first international address since Trump’s inauguration, Zelenskiy presented a central thesis: Europe must shoulder greater responsibility for its own security and reduce its heavy reliance on U.S. protection. The speech framed defense autonomy as crucial to Ukraine’s future peace prospects, according to Reuters.
Zelenskiy argued that Europe must emerge as a strong global actor capable of shaping security outcomes. There is no vast ocean separating Europe from Russia, he noted, and he reminded leaders that conflicts today are taking place closer to Davos than to Pyongyang, underscoring the immediacy of the threat, according to BBC.
Echoing Trump’s stance, which has named Spain as an example of countries Washington expects to step up military spending, Zelenskiy urged European governments to raise their defense budgets accordingly, as cited by AFP.
If the target is five percent of GDP, then so be it, he said, aligning with the figure Trump has asked NATO allies to commit to in defense spending, according to Reuters.
Zelenskiy highlighted Ukraine’s role in strengthening European defenses by pointing to joint arms-production projects already operating on Ukrainian soil, funded by European partners and, in some cases, supported by European technology, according to EUobserver.
He warned that Russia still produces roughly twice as much military material as Europe and that Moscow holds a manpower advantage over any single European army, according to Reuters.
No country can defend itself against Russia alone, he stated, stressing the importance of greater European unity and deterrence, as reported by AP.
From Davos, Zelenskiy affirmed Ukraine’s readiness to negotiate peace, but only if any agreement provides credible security guarantees to deter Russia from invading again, according to Reuters.
He also noted that such guarantees could include the deployment of European contingents and allied weapon systems, while emphasizing that Kyiv would not accept talks that require reducing its armed forces in any future negotiations, as reported by VOA.