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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted his European allies Thursday for the continent’s slow response to Russia’s invasion.
Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelensky said Europe ‘looks lost’ and urged the continent to change into a worldwide force.
‘Just last yr, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words: Europe must know the right way to defend itself. A yr has passed.
‘And nothing has modified. We’re still in a situation where I need to say the identical words again,’ he said.
Vladimir Putin’s invasion will enter its fourth yr next month and has to this point killed over 53,000 civilians.
During his speech, Zelensky described an earlier, hour-long meeting with President Trump as ‘very essential,’ adding: ‘Without motion now, there isn’t a tomorrow.’
Ukrainian officials will meet their US counterparts before the two-day meeting with Putin’s negotiators. The Ukrainian leader said Russia should be prepared to compromise.
‘Everyone must be ready, not only Ukraine,’ he said. ‘It’s higher than not having any sort of dialogue.’
Zelensky said his country would want the ‘very strong’ US on board to attain peace, and that Europe could have the identical influence but ‘needs time’.
The US administration recently revived negotiations with an amended twenty-point draft peace plan in November.
However the Kremlin said the proposal was ‘completely unconstructive and doesn’t work for us’.
Zelensky also slammed Europe for being slow to act on key decisions, spending too little on defence, and failing to stop Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers.
He added: ‘Some Europeans are really strong, it’s true, but many say we must stand strong, and so they all the time want another person to inform them how long they should stand strong, preferably until the subsequent election.’
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