At Davos Forum, Zelenskiy Calls For Western Unity To Stop Russian Aggression
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLibertyJan 16
Zelenskyy Visits World Economic Forum to Garner Support
The Facts
Speaking at the World Economic Forum conference in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, "embodies war." He also claimed to have received "positive signals" from the EU regarding financial support, adding that he hopes the US will also pledge further assistance in the coming weeks.
Zelenskyy also held a "CEOs for Ukraine meeting," where he announced his country's GDP exceeded 5% last year, touted Kyiv's defense of the Black Sea, and increased grain production. The meeting included European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and US Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker, among others.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
The Davos consensus on Ukraine should be the world's consensus — Kyiv is absolutely capable of deterring and defeating Moscow so long as its Western allies continue their financial support. This can't just be verbal or metaphorical support either, but rather concrete and predictable finance and weapons distribution to the frontlines until Putin finally concedes his inevitable defeat.
Pro-Russia narrative
Russian officials didn't have to attend the Davos summit to understand the absurdity of its intentions. Dozens of national security advisors flew to Switzerland to hear Zelenskyy call for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops and subsequent trials for war crimes — propositions even the most pro-Ukraine countries know are not going to happen. What will happen is Ukraine will continue to lose on the battlefield as its allies in the West grow more weary of supporting this war.
Nerd narrative
There is a 26% chance that Russia will have significantly expanded its controlled territory in Ukraine on January 1, 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.