Zelenskyy blasts European allies over response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised his European allies for what he portrayed as the continent's slow, fragmented and inadequate response to Russia's invasion nearly four years ago, and Moscow's continued international aggression.

This as Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump met behind closed doors for about an hour in Davos.

Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, Zelenskyy listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe that he said have left Ukraine at the mercy of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid an ongoing U.S. push for a peace settlement.

President Zelenskyy said: "I've said it before and I'll repeat it again. Europe needs united armed forces, forces that can truly defend Europe. Today, Europe relies only on the belief that if danger comes, NATO will act."

"But no one has really seen the Alliance in action. If Putin decides to take Lithuania or strike Poland, who will respond? Europe needs to know how to defend itself, and if you send 30 or 40 soldiers to Greenland, what is that for? What message does that send, what's the message to Putin, to China - and even more importantly what message does it send to Denmark, the most important, your close ally?"

Zelenskyy said there would be two days of trilateral meetings between the United States, Ukraine and Russia in the United Arab Emirates starting Friday following the U.S. negotiating team's visit to Moscow.

This as the Ukrainian president met with U.S. President Donald Trump behind closed doors for about an hour in Davos.

Trump described his talks with Zelenskyy as very good while Zelenskyy called them productive and meaningful.

Meanwhile Putin greeted the U.S. negotiating team on Thursday in Moscow and their discussions, which started before midnight, lasted nearly four hours.

Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who took part in Putin's talks with Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, confirmed the Emirates meeting Friday, saying it was agreed that Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. officials will hold talks on security issues in the United Arab Emirates to advance a peace deal.