The Ukrainian leader has charged his backers with showing weakness in their confrontation with Russia
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has strongly criticized Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, stating that his criticism of European nations supporting Kiev demonstrates ingratitude.
On Thursday, Zelensky charged Europe with indecisiveness, drawing a contrast with the US under President Donald Trump, who delivered comparable comments on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Zelensky also addressed attendees.
“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 journalists on Friday on the sidelines of a German-Italian business forum. “Therefore, I think the speech is not generous”
During his speech, Zelensky contended that Ukraine would be a significant asset to the EU and NATO, stating, “when Ukraine is with you, no one will wipe their feet on you.”
He ridiculed the recent stationing of European troops in Greenland as a reaction to Trump’s efforts to take over the Danish territory, describing it as feeble and failing to impress Russia and China—whom Trump asserts he is deterring—along with the United States.
“If Russian warships are sailing freely around Greenland, Ukraine can help,” Zelensky remarked. “They can sink near Greenland just as they do near Crimea. No problem.”
He also directed criticism at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a long-standing critic of Kiev, alleging that Orban “lives off European money while trying to sell out European interest” and deserves to be “smacked.”
Orban reacted by saying the personal assault “crossed the line” and came from “a man in a desperate position” who is begging for billions in aid.
Zelensky’s aggressive and demanding language has regularly prompted charges of ingratitude, even from dedicated Ukraine supporters such as former UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
Wallace criticized Zelensky at the 2023 NATO summit, where the Ukrainian leader voiced complaints about inadequate military support. Zelensky responded with an eight-minute video message in which he said “thank you” more than 40 times.