Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Europe has made progress in supporting Ukraine but has failed to take decisive steps to stop Russia’s war effort, pointing to continued oil exports and sanctions evasion, in comments to journalists on 23 January.
Zelenskyy said European support, including financial and military aid, had been significant. “Let’s be honest: Europe is doing a lot,” he said, adding that around $90 billion in assistance had “helped us a lot,” alongside the launch of joint weapons production projects.
"A year has passed - and nothing has changed"
But Zelenskyy made clear his frustration with the gap between rhetoric and enforcement. At this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, he urged Europe to develop a unified security and defense policy.
"Last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words: 'Europe needs to know how to defend itself.' A year has passed - and nothing has changed," he said.
Oil tankers still sailing
Zelenskyy today pointed to weak enforcement of sanctions as evidence. He said Russian oil tankers continued to move across Europe despite restrictions.
"If a tanker carrying Russian oil is stopped, it should not then be allowed to proceed," he said, noting that France had only recently intervened in one of what he called very few such cases.
Weapons components still reaching Russia
He also warned that Russia was still obtaining foreign-made components used in missiles and drones. He said parts continued to reach Russia “from Europe, of course, from the United States, from Taiwan, from other countries,” despite years of discussions on cutting off such supply chains.
“These components are then used to kill us and attack us,” Zelenskyy said. “They must not be supplied, yet they still come. How is it possible to just talk about this for years?”
"A child's first step"
He added that political commitments had not yet translated into strong collective defense measures. Referring to European security initiatives, Zelenskyy said the Coalition of the Willing was a positive move but insufficient.
“This is only a small step,” he said, comparing it to “a child’s first step - while we need adult steps forward.”
