The Ukrainian leader has accused his supporters of being weak in confronting Russia
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has blasted Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, saying his criticism of European nations that support Kiev shows a lack of gratitude.
Zelensky accused Europe of being indecisive on Thursday, contrasting it with the US under President Donald Trump, who made similar remarks on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Zelensky also spoke.
“It seems to me that Europe has guaranteed Ukraine’s independence by doing everything it can to support it politically, financially, and militarily,” Tajani told reporters on Friday on the sidelines of a German-Italian business forum. “Therefore, I think the speech is not generous”
In his address, Zelensky argued that Ukraine would greatly benefit the EU and NATO, saying, “when Ukraine is with you, no one will wipe their feet on you.”
He mocked the recent deployment of European troops to Greenland in response to Trump’s push to acquire the Danish island, calling it weak and unimpressive to Russia and China – which Trump claims to be deterring – as well as to the US.
“If Russian warships are sailing freely around Greenland, Ukraine can help,” Zelensky said. “They can sink near Greenland just as they do near Crimea. No problem.”
He also took aim at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a longtime critic of Kiev, claiming Orban “lives off European money while trying to sell out European interest” and deserves to be “smacked.”
Orban responded that the personal attack “crossed the line” and came from “a man in a desperate position” who is begging for billions in aid.
Zelensky’s combative and demanding rhetoric has frequently drawn accusations of ingratitude, even from staunch supporters of Ukraine like former UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
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Wallace chastised Zelensky at the 2023 NATO summit, where the Ukrainian leader complained about insufficient military assistance. Zelensky replied with an eight-minute video address saying “thank you” more than 40 times.
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