Zelensky lashes out at European leaders: ‘Will Trump even notice you?’

The Telegraph:  Volodymyr Zelensky has warned European leaders Donald Trump will ignore them if the continent doesn’t take better care of its own defences.

The Ukrainian president insisted the continent had to become more independent of Washington because there was no guarantee his American counterpart was committed to Nato.

“Will president Trump even notice Europe? Does he see Nato as necessary? And will he respect EU institutions?” Mr Zelensky asked in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The wartime leader presented his scathing address as a wake-up call for European leaders, including in Britain and France, following Mr Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

World Economic Forum delegates in Davos watch Donald Trump’s inauguration speech on Monday - Markus Schreiber/AP

Mr Zelensky argued that Europe had to do more to prove it could stand on its own feet and be a “strong global” player and “indispensable” on the world stage.

“Most of the world is now thinking: What is going to happen to our relationship with America, what will happen to alliances, to trade? How does President Trump want to end war?... But no one is asking these kind of questions about Europe,” he said.

“When we in Europe look at the US as our ally, it is clear they are an indispensable ally. In times of war, everyone worries will the US stay with them… But does anyone in the US worry that Europe might abandon them one day or might stop being their ally? The answer is no.”

The view was echoed by Alexander De Croo, Belgium’s prime minister, who said Mr Trump’s return to the White House should force the EU to stand on its own two feet.

“We will be in a world where we will sometimes have to show our muscles,” he said.

Alexander De Croo, the Belgian prime minister, says that Europe should ‘sometimes be allowed to react a little harder’ to Mr Trump’s plans - Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg

A trade war with the US would be in no one’s interest, he said, but added that Europe should “sometimes be allowed to react a little harder” to Mr Trump’s plans, which have recently included suggestions that America could take over Greenland.

“Greenland is part of Denmark, end of story. This is a discussion that needs to be ended,” Mr De Croo insisted.

“It’s not something you can laugh off. It creates an atmosphere. We should have reacted much more firmly to it through the EU.”

He suggested Europe could buy more energy from the US and purchase weapons as governments increased defence spending. This could help address Mr Trump’s concerns over trade deficits with European countries.

Mr De Croo, a Flemish liberal, will leave office once a coalition government in Belgium is formed after elections held in June last year.

Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised the cost of his country’s military support for Ukraine - Reuters

A souvenir stall with a flag depicting Ukrainian and US co-operation in Kyiv on the day of Mr Trump’s inauguration - SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised the cost of his country’s military support for Ukraine, while also criticising his European Nato allies for not spending enough on defence.

His comments in the past, including encouraging Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to member states not hitting spending targets, have raised constant concerns over his commitment to the alliance.

European leaders have attempted to address his concerns by proving they are doing more to support Ukraine and defend the continent.

But Mr Zelensky suggested that the current efforts alone risked Europe being left behind other global superpowers such as the US and China.

“Europe cannot afford to be the second or third in line for their allies. If that happens, the world will start moving without Europe and that is a world that would not be comfortable or beneficial to all Europeans,” he told the crowd in Davos.

“Europe must establish itself as a strong, global player, as an indispensable player. Let’s not forget there is no ocean separating European countries from Russia, and European leaders should remember these battles involving North Korean soldiers are now happening in places geographically closer to Davos than Pyongyang.”

Photos of US volunteer soldiers killed defending Ukraine at Independence Square in Kyiv - Efrem Lukatsky/AP

The Ukrainian president warned it was unclear whether Europe would even be invited to participate in peace talks between the US, Russia and China to end the war in his country.

He said: “Right now, it is not clear whether Europe will even have a seat when the war against our country ends. And we see how much influence China has on Russia… but will president Trump listen to Europe, or will he negotiate with Russia, China, without Europe?

“Europe needs to learn how to fully take care of itself, so the world cannot afford to ignore it.”

The Ukrainian president said his country was ready to work with its European allies to bolster the continent’s defences, including the creation of an “Iron Dome” that could repel Russian missiles.

“If it takes 5 per cent of GDP to cover defence, then so be it,” he added, endorsing Mr Trump’s demands on defence spending.

Mr Trump on Tuesday indicated he may impose fresh sanctions on Russia if Putin refuses to negotiate a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

“Sounds like it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, when asked if the United States would apply additional sanctions on Moscow if the Russian president did not come to the table.

In unusually critical remarks of Putin, Trump said on Monday that the Russian president “should make a deal.”

“I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal.”