Zelenskyy Says Europe Has Failed to Learn How to Ensure Its Own Security Over the Past Year

The President of Ukraine delivered a sharp rebuke of Europe, saying that over the past year it has failed to move any closer to understanding how to ensure its own security or how to respond to crises such as the situation around Greenland. According to him, European leaders still do not know what steps to take and prefer to wait for U.S. attention to the issue to fade. He warned that such calculations could prove misguided.

“Last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech by saying: ‘Europe must be able to defend itself.’ A year has passed—and nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I am forced to repeat the very same words. Everyone has focused on Greenland, and that is understandable: most leaders simply do not know what to do about it. And it gives the impression that everyone is just waiting for America to ‘burn out’ on this issue—hoping it will all resolve itself. But what if it does not? What then?” he said after talks with Donald Trump in Davos.

After meeting with Trump, Zelensky continued to publicly reproach Europe for weakness and a lack of resolve, contrasting it with the actions of the American leader. In particular, he asked why Europe was not taking steps comparable to those taken by Trump, citing the seizure of Russian tankers.

He also separately criticized the military capabilities of European countries, describing them as performative and ineffective. “You sent 40 soldiers to Greenland. Why? What are you trying to say by that? What message are you trying to send to Russia, China, Denmark?” the president said.

Overall, Zelensky insisted on the need to create a European army, while arguing that the project would be unworkable without Ukraine’s participation. He also said that Russian vessels were operating in the area around Greenland—ships that Europe, in his words, is unable to influence, whereas Ukraine could. “Russian ships are sailing around Greenland. But Europeans cannot do anything about them. And we can,” he noted.

Denmark, however, has previously denied the presence of Russian military activity near Greenland. In closing, Zelensky once again held Trump up as an example for European leaders, saying that the United States is imposing tougher sanctions on Russia—measures that Europe, according to him, is unwilling to take.