In a powerful speech at the World Economic Forum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Europe to take a more proactive role in global affairs, stating that the continent must “step up” and “learn how to take care of itself” in order to command respect on the world stage. Zelenskyy made the comparison between the United States' strength under President Donald Trump and Europe's current position, emphasizing that the world is watching closely how Europe responds to its challenges.
#Zelenskyy #Davos2025 #WorldEconomicForum #Europe #USRelations #GlobalLeadership #VolodymyrZelenskyy #TrumpComparison #EuropeanWeakness #GlobalAffairs #StepUpEurope #PoliticalLeadership #Ukraine #EU #DavosSpeech
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NewsTranscript
00:00Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends of Ukraine, please join me in welcoming
00:22back to Davos the President of Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky.
00:36I think you can hear from the warm applause that people are very much looking forward
00:42to hearing you speak, Mr. President, but also to greet you in the warmest way, welcoming
00:49you back to our annual meeting.
00:52We are really now approaching three years since the beginning of the full-scale invasion
00:59of Ukraine, the largest European conflict since the Second World War.
01:05Nearly one-fifth of Ukraine's internationally recognized territory remains under occupation.
01:13The scale of human suffering since the 24th of February 2022 has been tragic.
01:22Almost 40% of your population requires humanitarian assistance, millions face food insecurity.
01:32Deliberate attacks against your country's energy infrastructure expose Ukrainians to
01:38freezing temperatures.
01:41Attacks against civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, have caused huge physical
01:48and mental harm on those that are most vulnerable.
01:53In the face of this tragedy, thanks for your leadership, Mr. President.
01:57You and your country remain steadfast.
02:01Your country remains firmly on the European path, having been granted EU candidate status.
02:08Mr. President, we truly hope that we will see the war come to an end in 2025, through
02:14a just and lasting peace that restores Ukraine's sovereignty, a peace that ensures future generations
02:23will never have to know the horrors of war.
02:27The world is eager to hear from you on what lies ahead for Ukraine in the coming year.
02:33Welcome back to Davos, Mr. President.
02:46Thank you so much.
02:47Ladies and gentlemen, I want to talk about the future of Europe with you, which basically
03:04means the future of most people here.
03:08Right now, all eyes are on Washington.
03:14But who's actually watching Europe at the moment?
03:20That's the key question for Europe, and it's not just about ideas.
03:26It's about people, first of all.
03:28About how they will live in a world that's constantly changing.
03:35Twenty hours ago, President Trump's inauguration took place in Washington, and now everyone
03:42is waiting to see what he will do next.
03:46His first executive orders have already shown clear priorities.
03:53Most of the world is now thinking so.
03:55What's going to happen to their relationship with America?
04:00What will happen to alliances, to support, to trade?
04:06How does President Trump plan to end wars?
04:11But no one is asking these kinds of questions about Europe, and we need to be honest about
04:21that.
04:22When we in Europe look at the United States as our ally, it's clear they are an indispensable
04:30ally.
04:32In times of war, everyone worries.
04:36Will the United States stay with them?
04:41And every ally worries about that.
04:44But does anyone in the United States worry that Europe might abandon them someday?
04:53Might stop being their ally?
04:57The answer is no.
05:00Washington does not believe Europe can bring them something that is really substantial.
05:06And I remember last year's Asia Security Summit in Singapore, the Shangri-La Dialogue,
05:15and their representatives of the United States delegation openly said their top security
05:22priority is the Indo-Pacific region, the second is the Middle East and the Gulf, and only
05:29the third is Europe.
05:34And that was under the previous administration.
05:37And will President Trump even notice Europe?
05:41Does he see NATO as necessary?
05:43And will he respect EU institutions?
05:47Ladies and gentlemen, Europe can't afford to be second or third in line for its allies.
05:55If that happens, the world will start moving forward without Europe.
06:01And that's a wall that will not be comfortable or beneficial for all Europeans.
06:10Europe needs to compete for the top spot in priorities, alliances and technological development.
06:18And we are at yet another turning point, which some see as a problem for Europe, but others
06:25call a chance.
06:28Europe must establish itself as a strong global player, as an indispensable player.
06:38Let's not forget there is no ocean separating European countries from Russia.
06:44And the European leaders should remember these battles involving North Korean soldiers are
06:51now happening in places geographically closer to Davos than to Pyongyang.
07:00Russia is turning into a version of North Korea, a country where human life means nothing.
07:07But they have nuclear weapons and a burning desire to make their neighbors' lives miserable.
07:16Even though Russia's overall economic potential is way smaller than Europe's, it produces
07:23several times more armor and military equipment than all of Europe combined.
07:31That's exactly the path of wars Moscow chooses to take.
07:37Putin signed the new strategic deal with Iran.
07:42He already had a comprehensive treaty with North Korea.
07:46Whom do they make such deals against?
07:49Against you.
07:51Against us.
07:53Against Europe.
07:54Against America.
07:55We must not forget about it.
07:59It's not by chance that our strategic priorities and our priorities must match the challenge
08:08in politics and in defense and in economy.
08:12Such threats can only be counted and only counted together.
08:18Even when it comes to army size, Russia can field about 1.3, maybe 1.5 million troops.
08:26We've got more than 800,000 in our military.
08:32And after us comes France, with over 200,000, then Germany, Italy, and UK, everyone else
08:40has less.
08:42This isn't a situation where one country can secure itself alone.
08:49It's about all of us standing together to mean something.
08:57For now, thankfully, the influence of Iran's regime is weakening.
09:02This gives hope for Syria and Lebanon, and they should too become examples of how life
09:08can recover after war.
09:11And Ukraine's already stepping in to support the new Syria.
09:15Our ministers have been to Damascus and we've launched a food aid program for Syria called
09:23Food from Ukraine.
09:25And we are getting our partners involved to invest in these deliveries and in building
09:30food production facilities.
09:33And Europe could totally step in as a security donor for Syria at a time to stop getting
09:40headaches from that direction.
09:43And Europe together with America should put pay to the Iranian threat.
09:49First, right now, it's not clear whether Europe will even have a seat at the table
09:56when the war against our country ends.
10:00And we see how much influence China has on Russia.
10:04And we are deeply grateful to Europe for all the support it's given our country during
10:11this war.
10:12But will President Trump listen to Europe?
10:15Or will he negotiate with Russia and China without Europe?
10:22Europe needs to learn how to fully take care of itself so that the world can't afford to
10:29ignore it.
10:31It's vital to maintain unity in Europe because the world doesn't care about just Budapest
10:38or Brussels.
10:39It cares about Europe as a whole.
10:43And we need a united European security and defense policy and all European countries
10:50must be willing, willing to spend as much on security as is truly needed, not just as
10:57much as they have gotten used to during years of neglect.
11:02If it takes 5% of GDP to cover defense, then so be it, 5% it is.
11:10And there is no need to play with people's emotions that defense should be compensated
11:16at the expense of medicine or pensions or something else.
11:22That's really not fair.
11:26We have already set up models of cooperation for Ukraine's defense that can make all of
11:34Europe stronger.
11:35We are building drones, building drones together, including some totally unique ones that no
11:41one else in the world has.
11:43And we are producing artillery together and in Ukraine, and it's much cheaper and faster
11:49than in any other country in the world.
11:52And investing now in Ukrainian drones production is investing not only in security of Europe,
11:59but the ability of Europe to be a security guarantor for other vital regions.
12:06And we need to start building air defense systems together, ones that can actually handle
12:13all types of cruise and ballistic missiles.
12:17Europe needs its own version of the Iron Dome, something that can deal with any kind
12:23of threat.
12:25We can't rely on goodwill from a few capitals when it comes to Europe's security.
12:31And whether it's Washington, Berlin, Paris, London, Rome, or after Putin kicks the bucket
12:41some imaginary Democrat in Moscow someday.
12:47And we need, and we need to make sure no European country depends on a single energy
12:54supply, especially not Russia.
12:57Right now, things are on our side.
13:02President Trump is going to export more energy.
13:05But Europe needs to step up and do more long-term work to secure real energy independence.
13:13You can't keep buying gas from Moscow while also expecting security guarantees, help,
13:20and backup from the Americans.
13:23That's just wrong.
13:24For example, the Prime Minister of Slovakia is not seeking access to the U.S. gas, but
13:31does not lose hope to enjoy U.S. security umbrella.
13:35And Europe must have a seat at the table when deals about war and peace are made.
13:42And I'm not just talking about Ukraine here.
13:46This should be the standard.
13:49Europe deserves to be more than just a bystander, with its leaders reduced to posting on X after
14:00an agreement has already been made.
14:04Europe needs to shape the terms of those deals.
14:09Next, we need a completely new, bolder approach to tech companies and technological development.
14:16It will waste time.
14:17Europe will lose this century.
14:19And now Europe is falling behind in the development of artificial intelligence.
14:27Already TikTok's algorithms are more powerful than some governments.
14:33Already the fate of small countries depends more on their owns of tech companies than
14:39on their laws.
14:41Already Europe is not leading in the global tech race, falling behind both America and
14:46China.
14:47This isn't some minor issue.
14:51It's about weakness, first technological and economic, then political.
14:59And Europe is often more focused on regulation than on freedom.
15:04But when smart regulation is needed, Brussels hesitates.
15:09We should ensure maximum tech development in Europe and together make all significant
15:14decisions for the whole Europe.
15:17From weapons production to tech development, Europe must lead.
15:23And Europe must become the most attractive market in the world.
15:29And that's achievable.
15:31And finally, Europe must be able to guarantee peace.
15:38Peace and security for everybody.
15:42For itself.
15:44And for others.
15:45For those in the world who matter to Europe.
15:48Europe deserves to be strong.
15:50And for this, Europe needs the EU and NATO.
15:55Is this possible without Ukraine?
15:57And without a just end to Russia's war against Ukraine?
16:02I'm certain the answer is no.
16:05Only real security guarantees for us will serve as real security guarantees for everyone
16:12in Europe.
16:13And we must ensure that America also sees us as essential.
16:19For that to happen, America's focus must shift to Europe so that one day in Washington
16:27they will say, all eyes on Europe.
16:30And not because of war, but because of the opportunities in Europe.
16:36Europe needs to know how to defend itself.
16:42Hundreds of millions of people with Europe to see its landmarks, to learn from its cultural
16:49heritage.
16:51Millions in the world dream of living like the Europeans do.
16:56And will we be able to keep it and pass it to our children?
17:02If we in Europe can answer positively, America will need Europe as well as other global players.
17:11Europe must shape history for itself and its allies to remain not just relevant, but
17:20alive and great.
17:24Slava Ukraini.
17:25Will you speak in English or in Ukrainian?
17:38If I can, Ukrainian.
17:39If I can use Ukrainian, it's good.
17:42Your English is also becoming so good, huh?
17:44My Ukrainian is bad.
17:47My Norwegian, too.
17:48If you want to hear how it sounds.
17:52We are all in your hands.
17:53Thank you so much.
17:55So I'm asking the question, so there is a headset, so give people time to take it on
18:02because they shouldn't miss any of the nuances in your answers.
18:08Thank you so much.
18:18How many questions do you have?
18:21It depends on how long your answers are.
18:25We have a backup.
18:26You have only one question?
18:28I have a few.
18:31You know, the war has almost gone on for three years now.
18:37And you know, it's incredible how you are holding up.
18:43But of course, the pressure has also increased, as you said, from Russia and their allies.
18:51I think we're all also wondering who your latest military strategy is, and also who
19:02the current state of hostilities are.
19:06Last summer, you decided to do the incursion of Kursk.
19:11The first time since the Second World War, another country has taken a piece of Russia.
19:19But at the same time, we know that Russia is pushing very hard in Donbass.
19:23So what is the current state of hostilities?
19:26And what is this part of the strategy that you can share with us here today?
19:36That's really not a simple question.
19:42If I'll answer with all the details, maybe it will be only one question, but OK.
19:54Thank you for this question.
19:57First and foremost, I'd like to say that we are still in the Kursk region, and our military
20:03is there.
20:06The Russian Federation lacked forces to push us out of there.
20:11Today they have more than 60,000 troops there, the Russian military, on that particular axis.
20:18Apart from that, there have been 12,000 North Koreans, 4,000 of whom have died.
20:30And that was Putin's strategy, to drag one more country into war.
20:37I'll be frank, I did not...
20:45He signed something with Iran, and we did not, for the moment, find anything prescribing
20:55there that can drag Iran into war.
20:57But at the same time, I sincerely believe that Iran has been dragged into this war since
21:03they've started to hit our infrastructure, our hospitals, schools, with their long-range drones.
21:11And they have also issued licenses to produce those drones in the territory of Russia.
21:16So I'm very grateful to our military that they are on the Kursk axis, and that they
21:22have dragged some of Russian forces from the east to that axis.
21:30And also, Russia wanted to occupy the city of Kharkiv, and that region is, at the moment,
21:37under our control.
21:38The people are living there.
21:40It was very dangerous, the occupation of Kharkiv, because now approximately one and a half million
21:48people live there.
21:49That is a lot of people, and they are shelling it, and the people there, they...
21:56When you look at them, it's just admiration, because they work there under shellings.
22:01You know, they are working.
22:03They do not leave their city.
22:04They are very patriotic, very strong.
22:08We are very grateful to them.
22:09So the Kharkiv operation failed Putin's operation.
22:14We managed to stop them.
22:16Then he wanted to occupy territories in the north again.
22:19He started the invasion from the north, invasion to Kiev, almost three years ago, as you have mentioned.
22:25And here he wanted to start with the north again, and to capture a big city of Sumy.
22:30And then we were forced to deliver a preventive blow on the Kursk axis, and we have created
22:37a buffer zone between the Russian forces and our city of Sumy.
22:41And that is why now Sumy is under our control.
22:46In the north, there are no Russian and North Korean troops.
22:51They are all pulled to that magnet to our military on the Kursk axis.
22:56In the east, we have a difficult situation.
23:04There is the biggest quantity of Russian forces, maybe the most well-trained, they are on the east.
23:09They are pushing, pushing on a daily basis.
23:11You know that we had a big problem with...
23:16At first was the delay in the Congress voting for the support, then the supply was long,
23:22and even the last year's supplies, they are still on the go, I'll be frank with you.
23:27Yes, our guys are fighting, yes, everything is very uneasy there.
23:32On the other axis, the Russians have failed.
23:39What is the strategy?
23:40What is the strategy?
23:43The strategy is that we must approach any sort of diplomacy that will lead,
23:54and I am sure of that, to the end of the war.
23:58The issue is what this diplomacy will look like.
24:02If it is strong, and after this diplomacy and the negotiations, Ukraine has strong security guarantees
24:09that will prevent Putin from coming back with war again,
24:14then it will be a lasting, just, strong peace for Ukraine, for Europe, as I have said it,
24:22and to be honest, for America as well, for the whole world.
24:27But if the security guarantees are weak, if there is uncertainty, and only words,
24:37then you will get from Russia also only words, and they will again come back with war.
24:45Mr. President, in your speech, you were underlining that Ukraine is also playing a role
24:55as a kind of a bulwark against Russia for the rest of Europe,
25:01and especially in some former East European countries,
25:06there is, of course, a lot of concerns for the future,
25:12taking into account what has unfolded in Ukraine,
25:17and you argued that for Europe, this should be the first priority.
25:21Then you said, for America, of course, they have a transatlantic ocean between themselves and Russia,
25:29but at the same time, we know, and you know, that American support is also needed,
25:37since they have half of the military capabilities of the world, so still a superpower,
25:43and I think we're all reflecting now on what will happen in Washington, D.C. in the coming weeks.
25:51You met Trump many times.
25:52It seems that you've established also a relatively good personal chemistry,
26:00but what do you think will happen in the coming year?
26:07Is there, because every war has to end, so now we're talking about the premises for a deal.
26:14It has to be also future security for Ukraine, and no new wars.
26:22So, a question, you think you are in a manageable situation now, in the coming months,
26:33also with the new Trump administration?
26:42Thank you for the question.
26:46First and foremost, I would very much want that everybody understands where we and Russia have been in 2022,
26:55where we and Russia and America and Europe are now.
27:02It seems to me that this technical data is important to understand how and which support how and what it influences,
27:13and what are the risks for everybody else.
27:16If we recall the full-scale invasion by Russian Federation in 2022,
27:22then we absolutely know that the Russian military contingent constituted around 200,000 personnel.
27:32They have come from the north with this contingent, with missiles, from the south, from the east, yes,
27:40but they had around, estimation, 200,000 plus the separatists that have and unfortunately still now control parts of the east,
27:54I mean regions Donetsk and Luhansk, the parts of these regions that they control.
28:02It was very difficult for us without anybody's help.
28:07And I am very, very much grateful that America and Europe have then stepped in.
28:13But you must know that as of now 600,000 and to be precise 600,008, 100,000 Russian military troops are on the territory of Ukraine.
28:28So that is three times multiplied than the contingent that invaded us in the beginning of 2022.
28:35So if somebody says that there is enough of aid, please compare what was back then and what is going on now.
28:41Back then, America's aid was around 90%.
28:48Now, what our military has on the battlefield is 40% of Ukrainian made supplies.
29:0040% of the U.S. and around, so a bit more than one third of the U.S. and a bit less than the U.S. is Europe and around 40% is Ukraine.
29:18So that is what we have now.
29:21And that is a huge difference.
29:24And when somebody is saying, how are you holding on?
29:28We hold on because of the serious increase of domestic production and increasing production in Europe and also increasing production in the United States of America.
29:41But that is not sufficient because we have multiplied our increases.
29:49Europe did not follow such tempo and I have underscored it in the speech.
29:54So it is very important to understand where we are, how to hold on without aid and what Putin will do.
29:59Now look what he can do if there are no clear strong security guarantees.
30:07He increased his production by multiple times as well.
30:13And I have given this example.
30:15He has more than 30 factories in military sector.
30:22Europe has 45 but he is producing almost two times more than Europe.
30:27So you understand that he is investing everything.
30:30He is investing everything into it.
30:33But Europe is not investing sufficiently.
30:36And that is also a fact.
30:39Despite the fact that Europe has more technological capabilities.
30:44That is not taking into account the United States.
30:47And when you don't have the strong security guarantees and the volumes of the aid decrease,
30:55we will be forced to count only on ourselves and Europe and that is not enough.
30:59That is not enough.
31:01It is needed that Europe and US be in alliance.
31:06If Putin increased his military grouping to more than 600,000 troops,
31:14how do you think if there are no strong security guarantees,
31:18no NATO, no military contingent deployed, no long-range weaponry,
31:22no weapons, no weapons on the territory of Ukraine,
31:26how do you think if Putin comes back?
31:30He will definitely come back with the army.
31:34Ten times more than the grouping he had in the very beginning of 2022.
31:40Because it is already almost four and a half times more than it was.
31:46And when he comes back with this grouping,
31:49why will he come back?
31:53For the full occupation of the countries that are former republics of the USSR.
31:59That is number one.
32:01And then he will do what he has done with our Crimea.
32:04He will be coming to other EU and NATO countries to stand there,
32:08to do these or certain, to issue these or those ultimatums,
32:16to make demands to the countries.
32:19Somebody will have to leave NATO, our Baltic friends, Finland, Sweden.
32:27He will be bringing us and you, everybody, to the world that lives in his head.
32:36This is what will be happening in case there are no strong security guarantees.
32:42One of the important questions that Putin will pose,
32:47and we will all see it, is to decrease the numbers of Ukrainian military by many times.
32:53You will all see that.
32:55Because this is absolutely understandable.
32:58If we manage to make army 800,000 troops plus,
33:02it's understandable that we plus Europe,
33:05we are an army that is capable not only to withstand and to defend,
33:10and to defend our borders.
33:14That is the army that is capable of repelling Putin.
33:18And he understands that.
33:20And the fastest way, the fastest way is to push the United States
33:26that Ukraine is on the US, that Ukraine is not in NATO,
33:33and to push all the other allies that they push Ukraine,
33:36for Ukraine to decrease the army.
33:38This is what he wants.
33:40I mean, this will not happen.
33:42We will not allow him to do that.
33:44But he will try to do that.
33:47And it seems to me the main strategy now with President Trump
33:52is that we really have good relations with him.
34:00But we nowadays have pragmatic times.
34:04And for us it is very important that excessive voices
34:08that are sometimes around President Trump
34:16delivering disinformation or pro-Russian messages,
34:20for us it is very important that Europe is loud
34:24so that there are more voices around Trump
34:26so that he clearly understands the details and the risks.
34:29Risks that can be in the future.
34:34And very fast.
34:37Trump, he told me, and he later publicly stated it,
34:41he will be doing everything to end the war this year.
34:45And I told him that we are your partner.
34:49We have this war on our territory.
34:52We know all the painful points.
34:54We understand how painful it is for us.
34:56We have lost our people.
34:58That is the biggest loss for us.
35:00We want to end the war this year.
35:04But not only with the word rapidly,
35:07but justly, first and foremost, in a reliable manner
35:11for Ukrainians to come back home, to live in security, to work.
35:17And it seems to me that this is the most important thing.
35:21At least we'll be doing everything for it.
35:32Mr. President, I just don't think there is a lot more to add.
35:37So it was not interesting, you see?
35:40I was coming to that in the next sentence.
35:44I felt that the last piece was historic.
35:48I think you sent a historic reminder to all of us
35:52what is at stake.
35:54And I was thinking about what Winston Churchill once said,
35:58that the farther backward you can look,
36:00the farther forward we're likely to see.
36:03And I think if you have seen something in the past,
36:06you have a special responsibility for not repeating it in the future.
36:12And I think you feel here that there is a lot of support for you
36:18and your country in Davos.
36:20Thank you very much.
36:21Thank you so much.