Ukrainian drones attack an aviation plant in Russia’s Smolensk region. Europe needs to compete for a top position on the global leaderboard, Zelenskyi said in Davos. Ukraine seeks an end to the war this year that is not only quick, but also just, Zelenskyi says.
Ukrainian drones attack aviation plant in Russia’s Smolensk region
Ukrainian drones struck an aviation factory in the Russian city of Smolensk overnight on Tuesday. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, confirmed the attack.
“[The plant] is involved in production and modernization of the military aircraft, in particular the Su-25 attack aircraft. It also provides overhaul and maintenance of aviation equipment, which allows Russia to maintain combat capability of outdated aircraft models,” Kovalenko said. No reports specified the consequences of the attack.
Russian Telegram channels said a Ukrainian drone strike overnight on Tuesday also set an oil depot ablaze in the city of Yartsevo in the Smolensk region. Ukraine also targeted an oil depot in the city of Liski, in the Voronezh region, that it had hit last week.
Russia’s defense ministry said the country’s military had destroyed 55 Ukrainian drones over six Russian regions overnight on Tuesday.
Europe needs to compete for top position on global leaderboard, Zelenskyi said in Davos
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that it was time for Europe to stand strong and “step up”. Europe looks at the U.S. as an indispensable ally, he said, worrying if that stance is going to change after Donald Trump took office. But no one is asking these kinds of questions about Europe, he added.
“Washington does not believe Europe can bring them something that is really substantial. I remember last year’s Asia Security Summit in Singapore — the Shangri-La Dialogue. There, representatives of the U.S. delegation openly said — their top security priority is the Indo-Pacific region, the second is the Middle East and the Gulf, and only the third is Europe. And that was under the previous administration,” Zelenskyi said.
Europe can’t afford to be second or third in line for its allies, Zelenskyi said. It needs to compete for a top position on the global leaderboard.
He emphasized the importance of staying united and pursuing a common security policy. “We need a united European security and defense policy, and all European countries must be willing to spend as much on security as is truly needed, not just as much as they’ve gotten used to during years of neglect. If it takes five per cent of GDP to cover defense, then so be it, five per cent it is,” he said.
Zelenskyi called on European leaders to invest in Ukraine’s defense industry, joining efforts to produce air defense systems, drones and artillery.
“Europe needs its own version of the Iron Dome, something that can deal with any kind of threat. We can’t rely on goodwill from a few capitals when it comes to Europe’s security — whether it’s Washington, Berlin, Paris, London, Rome, or — after Putin kicks the bucket — some imaginary democrat in Moscow someday,” he said.
Europe needs to step up and do more long-term work to secure real energy independence, Zelenskyi said. He also highlighted separately that Europe is falling behind in the development of artificial intelligence.
“Already, TikTok’s algorithms are more powerful than some governments. Already, the fate of small countries depends more on the owners of tech companies than on [the countries’] laws,” he said.
Ukraine seeks end to war this year that is not only quick, but also just, Zelenskyi says
Ukraine seeks an end to the war unleashed by Russia that is not only quick, but also just, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi told the audience gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, answering a question from the forum’s president Børge Brende.
“Trump told me and later publicly restated that he will be doing everything to end the war this year. I told him: we are your partner. We are in war, and we know all the painful points. We understand how painful it is for us, we have lost our people, that’s our biggest loss,” Zelenskyi said.
“We want to bring the war to an end this year that is not just quick, but also just and solid for all of us, Ukrainians. We want our people to come back home, live and work safely. That’s key. We will do everything to achieve that,” he argued.