Office of the President of Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses participants of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21.
Renews plea for Patriot systems after week of nonstop Russian attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hopes U.S. President Donald Trump will bring about a “just” end to Russia’s war against his country and that he supports the new administration’s push for increased defense spending by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations.
“[Mr.] Trump, he told me, and he later publicly stated it, that he will be doing everything to end the war this year,” Mr. Zelenskyy told gathered leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21.
“We want to end the war this year. But not only with the word ‘rapidly,’ but also ‘justly,’” Mr. Zelenskyy stressed, adding that Ukrainians deserved the right to live in “security.”
Mr. Trump was expected to speak at the WEF by video on January 23, one of his first major foreign policy discussions since resuming the presidency on January 20, although he may focus on trade issues, such as potential tariffs.
Organizers said the Davos event brings together some 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries, including 350 governmental officials and 60 heads of states and governments.
Mr. Zelenskyy, in his speech to the forum, also offered support for Mr. Trump’s call that NATO members should increase defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), despite complaints from many members that it would destroy their national budgets.
Most nations struggled to reach the current stated goal of 2 percent of GDP, although 23 alliance members reached that level in 2024.
“They can all afford it, but they should be at 5 percent not 2 percent,” Mr. Trump said prior to taking office for his second term.
The United States spends 3.38 percent of GDP on defense. Given the size of the U.S. economy, that accounts for more than 60 percent of NATO’s total.
Mr. Zelenskyy told the Davos gathering that, if 5 percent of GDP is the level needed for proper security, countries should commit to it without speculating on what they might have to give up regarding health care or pensions.
He warned that Europe cannot afford to fall behind its allies, saying, “If this happens, the world will move forward without Europe.”
Mr. Zelenskyy called for real energy independence for Europe, stressing the urgent need for nations to wean themselves from Russian gas while they seek guarantees of security from Washington.
“Europe must step up with long-term strategies for energy independence. It’s wrong to keep buying gas from Moscow while expecting security from the Americans,” he said.
Mr. Zelenskyy called for the joint production of military technologies, including drones and air defense systems, citing the successful examples of cooperation between Ukraine and European partners in producing drones.
Mr. Zelenskyy also said his embattled nation had been slammed by more than 1,000 Russian projectiles over the past week, prompting him to renew his urgent plea for additional air defense weapons, particularly the U.S.-made Patriot missile system.
“In one week, the Russian army used about 550 attack drones, almost 60 missiles of various types, and more than 660 aerial bombs,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel.
He thanked soldiers and warfare units for defending against the “daily strikes on infrastructure” and for preventing most of the weapons from “reaching their targets.”
However, he added that the “constant task is to continue to strengthen the protection of our skies.”
“More Patriots for Ukraine means more protection of life. More range for Ukraine means more guarantees that the Russian war can be stopped,” he added.
Mr. Zelenskyy has stepped up his appeals for the sophisticated Patriot air defense system over the past year as Russian forces continue assaults against Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian sites.
Ukraine is thought to have at least five Patriot systems, although details have been kept mostly secret as some allies have sent full batteries while others have promised to send parts for the units.
A Patriot system costs more than $1 billion to manufacture and some $4 million more each time it is fired.
In an interview with Ukrainian television on January 19, military chief Oleksandr Syrskiy said Ukraine is seeking to develop its own air defense system with capabilities equivalent to that of a Patriot system.
“During Soviet times, [Ukraine] effectively manufactured all the controllers for anti-aircraft systems. So, we have the capacity and the ability to make [them]. Work is under way to develop our own domestic air defense system,” Mr. Syrskiy said.
When asked if they will be as effective as the U.S.-made systems, Mr. Syrskiy said, “I hope they will be comparable in performance to the Patriots.”
On the battlefield, the Ukrainian General Staff reported more than 80 clashes near the strategic Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, the target of a brutal Russian offensive over recent months.
A day earlier, Ukrainian military spokesman Viktor Trehubov claimed the situation in Pokrovsk was “stable” and that there were no Russian troops inside the city, even as authorities rushed to evacuate children from the bombed-out ruins.
“In Pokrovsk, in the city itself, the situation has not changed. It is stable,” Mr. Trehubov said, while acknowledging that Russian forces still appeared intent on encircling the area.
“There is no enemy there. We have already had to counteract information thrown into the network that they have allegedly arrived. This is simply not true,” he insisted.
Once home to 60,000 residents, Pokrovsk now has only around 7,000 people remaining, local authorities estimate.
The situation around the important logistics hub remains unclear. Heavy losses have been reported on both sides, although neither military discloses its casualties.
Russian forces have been closing in on Pokrovsk for several weeks, but some observers suggest the Kremlin may decide to bypass the city and seek to capture more territory further inside Ukraine instead.
On January 18, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had taken control of two more settlements in the region, the village of Petropavlivka – between the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove – and Vremivka.
If Russian forces were to take Pokrovsk, it would represent a major gain for the Kremlin after fighting that has left the city mostly in ruins.
In his comments, Mr. Trehubov said that “the enemy is trying to cling to the area south of Pokrovsk in order to advance southwest of the settlement and cut off logistics routes.”
“What is happening in the settlements south of Pokrovsk … there are constant battles, constant attempts by the enemy to take the area, make a base with it, and advance,” he said.
“The Russians are currently far from this goal, but they are trying,” he added.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its latest update said that “Russian forces recently advanced in the Pokrovsk direction and continued offensive operations in the area on January 17.
(With reporting by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, Reuters and Ukrayinska Pravda)
Copyright 2025, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington DC 20036; www.rferl.org (see https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskiy-davos-nato-spending-energy-russia-ukraine/3328 3784.html and https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-pokrovsk-kyiv-evacuation/33280847.html).