The Ukrainian president is attending the annual WEF in Davos, Switzerland, for the first time in person since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his Western allies that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “predator” who will not be satisfied with a “frozen” conflict.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, the wartime leader recalled that after 2014 there had been "attempts" to freeze the conflict in the Donbas region.
According to Zelenskyy, Putin "will not change."
The Ukrainian premier is headlining a frenzied first full day of the WEF's annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort and had a harsh tone for his allies as war fatigue grows, pressing political and corporate leaders to enforce sanctions, help rebuild his country and advance the peace process.
Top officials from the EU, US, China and the Middle East will also take centre stage.
Israel's ongoing war with the Hamas militant group, which recently passed the 100-day mark, has siphoned off much of the world's attention.
Zelenskyy, who was initially reluctant to leave his war-torn country, has lately been on a whirlwind tour of foreign capitals to try to rally support for Ukraine's cause.
He is facing "donor fatigue" in the West, as well as concern that former US President Donald Trump – who touted his friendly relations with Putin and considered pulling out of NATO – might return to the White House next year.
“Anyone thinks this is only about us, this is only about Ukraine, they are fundamentally mistaken,” he said in a speech in English at the Swiss ski resort. "Possible directions and even timeline of a new Russian aggression beyond Ukraine become more and more obvious.”
While lashing out at Putin for mass deportations, levelling cities and “the terrifying feeling that the war may never end,” he also offered pointed criticism for a world that told him not to escalate tensions ahead of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
“After 24 February, nothing harmed our coalition more than this concept. Every ‘Don’t escalate’ to us, sounded like ‘You will prevail’ to Putin," Zelenskyy said.
He thanked allies for each package of sanctions on Moscow but urged them to ensure they work. Russia, for instance, has found workarounds for imports of banned Western products that still appear on shelves.
On Monday, Zelenskyy visited Switzerland's capital Bern, where President Viola Amherd said her country would host a global peace summit that aims to help bring an end to Ukraine's war with Russia.
Amherd said they had agreed to examine the details of the next steps in-depth, with teams from the two countries beginning preparations as early as Tuesday.
"We want a broad-based summit with as many countries as possible taking part so that we can be successful," she said.
In his speech at Davos, Zelenskyy invited every leader who respects international law to join, saying “Peace must be the answer.”
No details were provided about when or how the summit would take place, and Russia has not been involved in the process.
Neutral Switzerland has previously acted as a broker to resolve various conflicts.
ADVERTISEMENTFollowing his meeting with Amherd, Zelenskyy then travelled to Davos for his first in-person attendance at the World Economic Forum.
The session drew NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and US envoy for Ukraine's economic recovery, Penny Pritzker, among others.
Later Tuesday, leaders of some of Ukraine’s key European allies – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot and Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno – will participate in a session on the “horizons” for Ukraine.