This blog contains the full transcript of a special address by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, delivered at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos.
Zelenskyy spoke about Russian aggression against Ukraine, the international justice system and security guarantees for the post war scenario.
The Ukrainian President mentioned the need for a European "coalition of action" and said "no security guarantees work without the US". He also called for a united armed forces for Europe and questioned NATO's readiness to respond to aggression.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: Thank you. Thank you very much. Dear friends, everyone remembers the great American film, Groundhog Day, with Bill Murray and Andy McDowell, yes, but no one would want to live like that, repeating the same thing for weeks, months, and, of course, for years.
And yet, that's exactly how we live now. It's our life and every Forum like this one proves it. Just last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words, Europe needs to know how to defend itself. A year has passed and nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I must say the same words, but why?
The answer is not just about the threats that exist or may appear; each year brings something new for Europe and for the world. Everyone turned their attention to Greenland, and it's clear most leaders simply are not clear what to do about it, and it seems like everyone is just waiting for America to cool down on this topic, hoping it will pass away. But what if it will not? What then?
There was so much talk about the protests in Iran, but they drowned in blood. The world has not helped enough the Iranian people and it's true, it has stood aside. In Europe, there were Christmas and New Year celebrations, the seasonal holidays, by the time the politicians came back to work and started forming a position, the Ayatollah had already killed thousands.
And what will Iran become after this bloodshed? If the regime survives, it sends a clear signal to every bully: kill enough people, and you stay in power. Who in Europe needs that message to become a reality, and yet, Europe hasn't even tried to build its own response.
Let's look at the Western Hemisphere. President Trump led an operation in Venezuela and Madura was arrested, and there were different opinions about it, but the fact remains, Madura is on trial in New York.
Sorry, but Putin is not on trial, and this is the biggest war in Europe since World War Two, and the man who started it is not only free, he is still fighting for his frozen money in Europe. And, you know what, he is having some success. It's Putin, who's trying to decide how the frozen Russian assets should be used, not those who have the power to punish him for this war. Thankfully, the EU decided to freeze Russian assets indefinitely and I’m grateful for that, thanks Ursula, thanks Antonio and all the leaders who helped, but when the time came to use those assets to defend against Russian aggression, the decision was blocked. Putin managed to stop Europe, unfortunately.
Next point, because of America's position, people are now avoiding the topic of the International Criminal Court. It's the American historical position, but at the same time, there is still no real progress on establishing a special tribunal for Russian aggression against Ukraine, against the Ukrainian people. We have an agreement. It's true, many meetings have taken place, but still, Europe hasn't reached even the point of having a home for the tribunal with staff and actual work happening inside. What's missing: time or political will? Too often in Europe, something else is always more urgent than justice.
Right now, we are working actively with partners on security guarantees, and I'm grateful for that, but those are for after the war ends. Once the ceasefire begins, there will be contingents and joint patrols and partner flags on Ukrainian soil, and that is a very good step and the right signal that the UK and France are ready to actually commit their forces on the ground and there is already a first agreement on that, Thank you, Keir, thanks Emmanuel, and all the leaders in our coalition. We are doing everything to make sure that our Coalition of the Willing truly becomes a coalition of action. And again, everyone is very positive, but always the backstop of President Trump is needed. And again, no security guarantees work without the US.
But what about the ceasefire itself? Who can help make it happen? Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today, action that defines what kind of future we will have. That is the problem. Why can President Trump stop tankers from the shadow fleet and seize oil? But Europe doesn't; Russian oil is being transported right along European shores, that oil funds the war against Ukraine. That oil helps destabilize Europe, so Russian oil must be stopped and confiscated and sold for Europe's benefit. Why not?
If Putin has no money, there is no war for Europe. If Europe has money, then it can protect its people. Right now, those tankers are making money for Putin and that means Russia continues to push its sick agenda.
Next point, I've said it before and I'll repeat it again, Europe needs united armed forces, forces that can truly defend Europe today. Europe relies only on the belief that if danger comes, NATO will act, but no one has really seen the alliance in action. If Putin decides to take Lithuania or strike Poland, who will respond?
Who will respond? Right now, NATO exists thanks to the belief that the United States will act, that it will not stand aside and will help. But what if it doesn't? Believe me, this question is everywhere in the minds of every European leader and some try to get closer to President Trump, it’s true. Some wait, hoping the problem will disappear. Some have started acting, investing in weapons production and building partnerships, getting public support for higher defence spending, but let's remember, until America pressured Europe to spend more on defence, most countries were not even trying to reach 5% of GDP, the minimum needed to ensure security. Europe needs to know how to defend itself, and if you send 40 soldiers to Greenland, what is that for? What message does it send? What's the message to Putin, to China, and, even more importantly, what message does it send to Denmark, the most important, your close ally?
You either declare that European bases will protect the region from Russia and China and establish those bases, or you risk not being taken seriously, because 40 soldiers will not protect anything. And we know what to do if Russian warships are sailing freely around Greenland, Ukraine can help; we have the expertize and weapons to ensure that not one of those ships remains, they can sink near Greenland, just as they do near Crimea. No problem. We have the tools and we have the people. For us, the sea is not the first line of defence, so we can take actions and we know how to fight there, if we were asked and if Ukraine were in NATO, but we are not. We will solve this problem with Russian ships.
As for Iran, everyone is waiting to see what America will do and the world offers nothing. Europe offers nothing and doesn't want to enter this issue in support of the Iranian people and the democracy they need. But when you refuse to help the people fighting for freedom, the consequences return and they are always negative. Belarus in 2020. Is the example. No one helped their people, and now Russian or ethnic missiles are deployed in Belarus, within range of most European capitals. That would not have happened if the Belarusian people had won in 2020. And, we have told our European partners multiple times, act now against those missiles in Belarus; missiles are never just decoration, but Europe still remains in Greenland mode. Maybe something, someone will do something.
The issue of Russian oil is the same. It's good that many sanctions exist. Russian oil is getting cheaper, but the flow has not stopped and Russian companies that fund Putin's war machine are still working and that will not change without more sanctions. We are grateful for all the pressure put on the aggressor, but let's be honest, Europe must do more, so its sanctions block enemies as effectively as America.
Why is that important? Because if Europe is not seen as a global force, if its actions don't scare bad actors, then Europe will always be reacting, catching up with new dangers and attacks. We all see that the forces trying to destroy Europe do not face a single day. They operate freely, even operate inside Europe. Every victor who lives off European money while trying to sell out European interests deserves a smack upside the head.
And if he feels comfortable in Moscow, it doesn't mean we should let European capitals become little Moscow's. We must remember what separates Russia from all of us. The most fundamental line of conflict between Russia and Ukraine and all of Europe is this: Russia fights to devalue people, to make sure that when dictators want to destroy someone, they can, but they must lose power, not gain it. For example, Russia's missiles are produced only because they have found a way to bypass sanctions, it's true. Everyone sees how Russia tries to freeze Ukrainians. our people to death at minus 20 degrees Celsius, but Russia couldn't build any ballistic or cruise missiles without critical components from other countries, and it's not just China.
Russia gets components from companies in Europe, the United States and Taiwan. Right now, many are investing in stability around Taiwan to avoid war, but can Taiwanese companies stop contributing electronics to Russia's war? Europe says almost nothing, America says nothing and Putin makes missiles.
And I thank every country, of course, and every company that helps Ukraine repair its energy system. This is crucial. Thank you to all who support the plural programme, helping us buy Patriot missiles, but wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to just cut Russia off from the components it needs for missile production or even destroy the factories making them?
Last year, most of the time was spent talking about long-range weapons for Ukraine. And everybody said that the solution was within range. Now no one is even talking about it, but Russian missiles are still here and we still have the coordinates of the factories where they are made. They target Ukraine. Tomorrow, it could be any NATO country and here in Europe, we are advised not to mention tomahawks. Not to mention tomahawks to the Americans, not to spoil the mood and we are told not to bring up Taurus missiles. When the subject is Turkey, diplomats say don't offend Greece. When it’s Greece? They say, be careful with Turkey.
In Europe, there are endless internal arguments and things left unsaid that stop Europe from uniting and speaking honestly enough to find real solutions and too often, Europeans turn against each other’s leaders, parties, movements and communities, instead of standing together to stop Russia, which brings the same destruction to everyone. Instead of becoming a truly global power, Europe remains a beautiful, but fragmented, kaleidoscope of small and middle powers. Instead of taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide, especially when America's focus shifts elsewhere, Europe looks lost trying to convince the US President to change, but he will not change.
President Trump loves who he is, and he says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe. One of the biggest problems in today's Europe though it's not often talked about in the mindset. Some European leaders are from Europe, but not always for Europe. Europe still feels more like a geography, history, a tradition, not a real political force, not a great power.
Some Europeans are really strong, it's true, but many say we must stand strong and they always want someone else to tell them how long they need to stand strong for, preferably until the next election, but that's not how great power works, to my mind. A leader says we must defend European interests, but they hope someone else will do it for them, and speaking of values, they often mean valueless.
They are all like, we need something to replace the old world order with, but where is the line of leaders who are ready to act? Act now, on land, in the air, at sea, to build a new global order. You can't build a new world order out of words, only actions create real order.
Today, America has launched the Board of Peace. Ukraine was invited, so was Russia and Belarus, though the war hasn't stopped and there is not even a ceasefire. I have seen who joined. Everyone had their reasons, but here is the thing, Europe hasn't even formed a united position on the American idea.
Maybe tonight, when the European Council meets, they will decide something, but the documents were already signed this morning and tonight, they might also finally decide something on Greenland, but last night, Mark Rubio had spoken to President Trump, thank you, Mark for your productiveness. America is already changing its position, but nobody knows exactly how. So, things move faster than Europe and how can Europe keep up?
Dear friends, we should not degrade ourselves to secondary roles, not when we have a chance to be a great power together. We should not accept that Europe is just a salad of small and middle powers seasoned with enemies of Europe, when united, we are truly invincible, and Europe can and must be a global force, not one that reacts late but one that defines the future. That would help everyone from the Middle East to every other region in the world. That would help Europe itself, because the challenges we face now are challenges to the European way of life, where people matter, where nations matter. Europe can help build a better world. Europe must build a better world, a world without war, of course, but for that, Europe needs strength. For that, we must act together and act in time, and most of all, we must have the courage to act, and we are actively working to reach solutions, real solutions.
Today, we met with President Trump and our team are working almost every day. It's not simple. The documents aimed at ending this war are nearly ready and that really matters. Ukraine is working with full honesty and determination and that brings results and Russia must become ready to finish this war, to stop this aggression, Russian aggression, Russian war against us. So the pressure must be strong enough and the support for Ukraine must grow even stronger. Our previous meetings with the President of the United States brought us air defence missiles, and thanks Europeans, they helped also and today we also spoke about protecting the skies, which means protecting lives, of course, and I hope America will continue to stand with us and Europe must be strong.
And Ukraine is ready to help with anything that is needed to guarantee peace and prevent destruction. We are ready to help others become stronger than they are now. We are ready to be part of a Europe that truly matters, a Europe of real power,
Today, we need that power to protect our own independence, but you need Ukraine's independence too, because tomorrow, you may have to defend your way of life, and when Ukraine is with you, no one will wipe their feet on you and you will always have a way to act and act in time.
This is very important, act in time. Dear friends, today is one of the last days of Davos, though definitely not the last Davos, of course, and everyone agrees on that and many people believe that somehow things will work out on their own, but we cannot rely on ‘somehow’ for real security. Faith is not enough. Faith in a partner in a lucky turn of events, no intellectual discussions are capable of stopping wars, we need action, world order comes from action and we just need the courage to act. Without action now, there is no tomorrow. Let’s end this Groundhog Day, and yes it’s possible. Thank you.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: The President wanted me to sit, but I think you deserve every part of that standing ovation. Thank you so much, Mr President. It is very good to have you back. How did your meeting with President Trump go?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: Honestly.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: Of course, honestly, but, of course, in the interest of your country?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: Yes, it was in the interest of my country; I would never question that. No, no, no, the meeting was good, thanks to the President and thanks that he found time for us. And it's really, you know, today I saw my team and they spoke with the American team and before my meeting with President Trump, my team spent a lot of time with the Americans, and even I wanted to ask President Trump to give them American passports, because I think that they, yes, they really spend a lot of time.
But being honest, I think that the meeting is very important. We need in our boat, I hope this is the boat the ship to peace and we need very much to have the United States. For the future, for security guarantees, we understand that Europe has to be stronger, but Europe will need time. And today, America is very strong, and I think that our teams worked well and I think this is like the last last mile, which is very difficult and during any dialogue with any president, I have to defend the interests of my country, that's why the dialogue is, maybe it's not simple, but it was today, it was positive.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: That’s a good answer. Thank you. We know that Jared Kushner and also Special Representative Steve Witkoff are travelling this afternoon to Moscow. I think now it is also about when Russia is ready to stop the war. and it's hard to really understand what is in the head of Mr Putin, too, but what do you think are the current calculations in Moscow?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: First of all, yes, the American team will go to Moscow today. Yes, they waited for our meeting with President Trump, and now they will go, and my team will meet the American team and I think that it will be the first trilateral meeting in the Emirates. It will be tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Yes, it will be two days of meetings in the Emirates. I hope that the Emirates know about it. Yes, sometimes we have such surprises from the American side, yeah, but in any way, they will go there. And I think this is good, if, on the technical level, we'll begin this trilateral meeting. I hope that we will find some, I don't know, Russia has to be ready for compromises. Because, you know, everybody has to be ready, not only Ukraine, and this is important for us, so we will see what the result will be, but our guys meet today with Americans, then Americans will meet with Russians tomorrow. I don't know when. I don't know maybe Putin is sleeping. You said that nobody knows what is in his head.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: They might have to wait a little bit for the meeting.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: I don't know that. And tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we will have trilateral meetings. It's better than not to have any kind of dialogue, so we are under attack, people live without electricity, and we are in a difficult situation, but.it's better than not to have any kind of dialogue. We are in a difficult situation, but the Russians are also in a difficult situation. We are answering on their attacks and God bless the war will stop.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: What is now the most difficult part for Ukraine. We know it's an attack on your whole energy system and electricity, but then there are also the casualties on the borders. So the humanitarian situation is more challenging now than a year ago?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: Yes, Russia attacks energy, and this is what they are focusing on, and this is not a secret. This is not a mistake. This is their goal to cause blackouts in Ukraine. And they attack mostly civilians. They don't use a lot of missiles, these expensive missiles, what I spoke about before, they don't use them on the front, they use it against civilians, infrastructure, critical infrastructure. It’s about everything, hospitals, kindergartens, schools, but mostly it's about the tactical things, which they are focusing on destroying, electricity, heating systems, water supplies, everything.
Yes, this is the face of Russia. And really, this is the face of this war. We have defending systems. We have really created, I think, great ideas with drone interceptors that we produce 1000s of per day, but it's still not enough. Russia has about 500 drones, Iranian drones each day and dozens of missiles, ballistic missiles, and even those systems that our partners gave us and of course, they could give us more, yes, and I spoke with President Trump today about it again and again, and I hope it was my last words, you know in Ukraine, we say, everybody remembers the last words. So my last words to President Trump were, don't forget about air defence, don't forget about Patriots. So this is very important for us during this winter. So, I think that all these attacks. I can't say that these attacks make us stronger, because it's about our people, the people I mean this, they are surviving, but they’re heroic people, civilians and soldiers, because they are not losers of this war and this is important.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: Would you be willing to say something about the situation on the borders?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: You mean the contact lines. Russia wants to have a border there, but it's contact lines.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: I'm glad you corrected me.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: It's okay.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: So would you, would you like to say something about it?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: It's about technologies and I wanted to show you, but I had some technical questions, but I wanted to show you how we work. We see online the war, we see the real enemies. We see our losses and Russian losses. Russian losses are the biggest that they have ever had. So I'm just sharing with you, the real statistic is 35,000 killed per month, 35,000 soldiers. Last year, these months, it was about 14,000.
So Russia is not thinking about it, but we think about it. We think about how they lose and how many soldiers they lose. We know that they mobilize 40, 43,000 per month, and they begin to lose 35. From this 43, you have to know that about 10-15% are run aways and there are some wounded. But you have to understand that their army stopped increasing, this is important because of our drones technologies and our operators of drones. But, in any way, we want to stop tomorrow, this war, of course, but you have to know that if the war continues, Russia will begin to lose a number of their army or Putin will decide to mobilize his country.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: Maybe last question, because I know you also need to go back to Kyiv.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: It was not interesting with me?!
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: Your people are showing me their watch all the time. I would love to continue for another 15 minutes, Mr President.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: But not more? 15 is okay?
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: So, my last question, Mr President, how can the people here at the World Economic Forum and in Davos support you and show solidarity with you and the country?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: To defend our land, it’s a very expensive task. So, if during the World Economic Forum, we can find as many businesses as possible, which can open offices in Ukraine, it means that you really trust and you believe that peace will come.
Yes, there is a little bit risk, we decided at the beginning, be honest, but we need your offices and companies. That means that you believe and you trust in Ukraine, in our independent life after the war. This is the biggest chance. What you can do is invest now to give jobs to our people. I think this is the most important and this is the real support, not words, real support - jobs, money, investment.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum: Thank you.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: Thank you.
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