The Ukrainian president was expected at the WEF and stayed away. Is it really because of the Russian attacks?
January 21, 2026, 05:05January 21, 2026, 05:05
Patrik Müller, Stefan Bühler, Fabian Hock / ch media
The media received confirmation on Monday morning: President Volodymyr Selenskyj was “expected” on Tuesday morning at the “Ukraine House” on the Davos Promenade. The first information leaked out from diplomatic circles on Monday evening. Zelenskyj probably won’t come.
Doesn’t get a big stage at the WEF: Volodymyr Zelenskyj.Image: keystone
The reason for his possible absence was immediately said: Selenskyj had not been promised an appearance on the big stage by the WEF. And US President Donald Trump has not yet agreed to a bilateral meeting. That’s why Zelensky may stay in Kyiv.
On Tuesday morning there was confirmation: Zelensky announced that he was staying in Kiev for the time being. However, the reasoning was different than that circulated the evening before.
Rocket fire at night
On Tuesday night, Russia flew a large wave of drones and missiles against Ukraine. The focus was on energy and supply systems. In the capital Kiev, there were power, water and district heating outages due to freezing temperatures; thousands of buildings were without heating.
Zelenskyj now justified his absence from the WEF with these attacks. He said he was staying in Ukraine and was prioritizing the situation on the ground (“I choose Ukraine”). International appearances only make sense if they bring concrete results such as more air defense and help. A Ukrainian team still traveled to Davos.
These words convey great disappointment. Unlike the last four Davos congresses, where Zelensky was the focus, this time he feels marginalized. And with good reason: in the congress center people only talk about Ukraine in passing; Greenland, artificial intelligence (AI) and economic topics dominate the debates.
The exhibition in the “Ukraine House” in Davos is a reminder of the atrocities. Since the outbreak of war in 2022, an exhibition has been shown here on the sidelines of the WEF, which is intended to rouse the European public. This time it’s an AI-generated video on a screen several meters wide. It shows drone attacks on European cities, including Davos.
The original plan was to show a shot down Shahed drone in the exhibition, says oligarch Viktor Pinchuk, whose foundation is largely financing the appearance. But the Swiss authorities have banned the import of the drone wreckage, he says. It is often Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia uses to carry out its night attacks.
When asked, one of the curators confirmed this representation. The Davos authorities themselves allowed the drone to be exhibited – it was the federal government that prohibited this. There was no statement from the federal government at the time of going to press.
Ironically, Zelensky’s resignation reached the WEF community on the very morning that EU President Ursula von der Leyen was speaking in the congress hall. She assured Ukraine of her unbroken solidarity. She recalled that it has been almost four years since Russia invaded Ukraine: “Russia shows no signs of letting up, no remorse, no apparent will for peace,” said von der Leyen. On the contrary: “Russia is increasing its attacks and continuing to kill civilians as we speak.”
Warm words from the EU President
Zelensky may have heard this speech in Kiev, but it is unlikely to have satisfied him. Because Zelensky knows that it is not enough to have Europe on his side. He needs the USA – and therefore Donald Trump. With this, Zelenskyj wants to conclude a so-called US-Ukraine “Prosperity Deal”: an investment and reconstruction package of up to 800 billion dollars over ten years.
It is intended to finance reconstruction and stimulate the economy with loans, grants and private capital; in some cases it is linked to security guarantees.
Zelenskyj said that if things got that far, he would travel to Davos. He sounded disillusioned. Ukraine is completely at the mercy and whim of the US President. It is little consolation that he shares this fate with other heads of government. Because in the case of Ukraine it is a matter of life and death. (aargauerzeitung.ch)