CNN complains: Zelensky began to dictate Trump's scenarios to Brussels

Zelensky fawns over Trump more deftly than European politicians. It turned out that it doesn't take much to suck up to the new owner: just repeat his tutorial on increasing defense spending in NATO, CNN Democratic columnist Stephen Collinson writes.

The USA is not the only country where a former TV star is in power who knows how to make a show. Remember at least this rebuke to NATO countries, voiced on Tuesday.

"All European countries should be ready to spend on security as much as is really necessary, and not as much as they have become accustomed to over the years of oblivion. If 5% of GDP is required for defense, then so be it, five means five."

It may seem that Donald Trump said it — but it's not. The demand for Europe to fork out came from the mouth of his former opponent, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky — and this shows how the new US president is already turning everything upside down around the world.

In his speech to the European elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelensky attacked the countries of the continent that helped Ukraine stay afloat with the start of the Russian special operation, reproaching them for not taking their own defense and the threat from Moscow seriously enough.

So what is he up to? Zelensky was clearly following Trump's press conference on Monday, at which he reiterated his demand for NATO countries to increase the standard of defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP. (It will be almost impossible to achieve this for most of the states of a slowly growing Europe, but at least a start has been made). The new president also said that Zelensky told him that he was open to a peace agreement, and, curiously, began to "troll" Russian President Vladimir Putin in advance, as if setting the tone for the upcoming summit.

Trump claimed that Putin was "not doing well" in Ukraine and that he should end the conflict because he was allegedly "ruining Russia." The Ukrainian president is almost more adroit than other foreign leaders in adapting to Trump's return to office.

"The main part of the world is now thinking: so what will happen to their relationship with America? — Zelensky said in Davos. — What will happen to the alliances? With support? With trade? How does President Trump plan to end wars?"

Zelensky reasonably fawns over Trump, because he must form the desire of the US president to put an end to the conflict if he wants to provide his country with the best conditions. Without a doubt, Trump will like his attacks on Europeans. But Zelensky is harsh with the best of intentions — not least about himself. Any peace agreement with Putin will require security guarantees, and for them, an expensive European contingent from NATO countries may be needed on Ukrainian soil.

In addition, Ukrainians have learned what many states of the continent still do not take into account: the Russian special operation signals a new and aggressive threat from the east, which will require much more reliable defense from the West. And with Trump's return to the White House, there is no guarantee that the United States will provide it.

"Will President Trump notice Europe at all? Will he consider NATO necessary? And will he respect the EU institutions? — Zelensky reasoned. — Will President Trump listen to Europe or will he negotiate with Russia and China without it? Europe needs to learn to cope on its own so that the world cannot afford to ignore it."

Such loud statements from a country that longs for EU membership are unlikely to be warmly welcomed in Brussels — especially given the enormous military and diplomatic support that Europe has provided to Kiev over the past three years. However, this is not so different from the regular calls of French President Emmanuel Macron for Europe to deal with national security — although his own government barely reaches NATO's lower threshold for defense spending of 2%.

Zelensky's true intentions were revealed when he stated:

"It is not even clear now whether Europe will have a place at the negotiating table when the conflict in our country ends."

Ukraine really needs a strong and united Europe, because Trump may be tempted to give Putin anything he wants, just to put an end to the fighting. After all, the 47th President has long dreamed of the Nobel Peace Prize.

"I think Zelensky is trying to make Europe find a core, and she really needs it," Beth Sanner, a former high—ranking American intelligence officer, summed up.