‘Make Europe Great Again’: Ukraine’s Vice PM urges Europe to step up

In an impassioned statement, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has called for Europe to solidify its stance amid US President Donald Trump’s uncertain support for Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.

During a panel called “Hard Power: Wake-up Call for Companies,” moderated by Al Arabiya News’ Hadley Gamble at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Svyrydenko did not mince words.

“First of all, I think that Ukraine wants to end this war more than others,” she declared, but emphasized the need for a resolution on favorable terms to Ukraine, and underscored the need for strong security guarantees by the west.

The declaration comes as Kyiv remains under intense pressure with Moscow making incremental, but continuous territorial gains into the country.

Trump’s previous assertions during his campaign that he could end the Ukraine war “on day one” of his presidency have left European allies uneasy, given his historically warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Recent critical remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describing him as “the world’s best salesman” when it comes to seeking international military support, has done little to assuage fears in Berlin, London and Paris.

Svyrydenko’s plea highlighted the growing anxiety in Kyiv over potentially shifting allegiances in Washington.

“I would talk like a Trumpist right now, to make the European Union great again, but it’s true,” she remarked, signaling the urgency of renewed European commitment in the face of American ambivalence.

It was a notably subdued Davos greeting Svyrydenko, alongside President Zelenskyy Wednesday, marked by the absence of American officials, who were instead in Washington attending the inauguration.

As the pair sought support from vast swathes of non-US leaders including EU head Ursula von der Leyen and President of Argentina, Javier Milei, the meetings were trumped by communiques out of Washington and Riyadh suggesting a $600 billion investment in the US might be at the ready in Riyadh, alongside a potential first state visit, echoing the returning president’s first-term in 2016.

In the characteristically chill Davos air, the Kingdom’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir, reiterated that a warm welcome awaited Trump in Riyadh.

Speaking to Gamble, the minister said, “Trump would be welcome anytime he wants to come.”

Svyrydenko signaled a clear shift in Kyiv’s focus, moving away from Zelenskyy’s earlier rhetoric of reclaiming all territories, including Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014, toward laying the groundwork for rebuilding.

She emphasized economic reforms aimed at tackling corruption and creating a framework to welcome investment in whatever post-war Ukraine may emerge.

“We are doing our homework. We are providing reforms even during wartime,” she noted, highlighting Ukraine’s efforts to meet EU requirements and strengthen its economic resilience.

The session ended with Gamble probing the future political role of Zelenskyy in a post-war Ukraine, amid waning popularity as the war drags on.

Svyrydenko responding with careful neutrality, “I think it’s better to ask him,” she said.