Status: 01/17/2023 3:54 p.m
The mood is depressed in the Swiss mountains at the World Economic Forum of politics, business and science. Global crises determine the agenda – and demands for more aid for Ukraine.
“Working together in a fragmented world” is the motto of the World Economic Forum, which brings together 52 heads of state and government and hundreds of CEOs from business. One of the dominant topics this year is the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen assured that the “European Union’s unwavering support for Ukraine will not falter. From helping to restore electricity, heat and water supplies to preparing for long-term reconstruction efforts,” said von der Leyen in davos “We are there – for as long as necessary and stand by our Ukrainian friends.”
Von der Leyen announced yesterday that the EU would pay Ukraine a new aid tranche of three billion euros. Monthly tranches of EUR 1.5 billion each are then planned from March.
Pressure on federal government because of “Leopard” tanks
In the discussion about a possible delivery of “Leopard” battle tanks to Ukraine, representatives of several EU countries in Davos increased the pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The presidents of Poland and Lithuania, as well as the Finnish foreign minister, urged Scholz to quickly approve the delivery of “Leopard” tanks to Ukraine.
Polish President Andrzej Duda pointed out that his country is ready to deliver around 14 Leopard tanks. However, approval from the manufacturing country Germany is required for this. Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda compared the war in Ukraine to a game of chess. It was now Germany’s turn to make a move. Someone has to take the lead and “make the decision to support Ukraine”. The tanks would become a “very strategic factor” in the war, Nauseda said.
According to Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Finland is also supporting the delivery of heavy tanks. “We hope that becomes a reality,” said Haavisto. Chancellor Scholz had previously justified his no to the delivery of battle tanks, among other things, by saying that Germany should not go it alone.
Selenskyj’s wife warns against escalation of the war
At the World Economic Forum, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Olena Zelenska, called for a united front of the world community against Russia. “It is unity that can bring peace back,” Selenska said in the Swiss ski resort, warning that the war could also spread beyond her country’s borders.
Selenska described how desperate parents in Ukraine had to watch as doctors fought for their children’s lives and how farmers were afraid to go back to their fields because mines had been laid there. The Ukrainian President’s wife also addressed the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe. “We cannot allow another Chernobyl to happen,” she said. In the afternoon, President Selenskyj will also be connected via video in Davos.
Get out of the “crisis thinking pattern”
Hundreds of government representatives, CEOs, academics and activists are not only discussing the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in Davos, but also climate change and other pressing crises. In rounds of talks, topics as diverse as equal rights, the fight against plastic waste and tuberculosis or the opportunities offered by climate change were on the agenda.
World Economic Forum Managing Director Alois Zwinggi spoke of a “multidimensional danger environment at the moment”. The mood was depressed, according to the founder of the forum, Klaus Schwab. All stuck in a “crisis thinking pattern”. Davos should now help to change this way of thinking.
With information from Kathrin Hondl, ARD-Studio Geneva.