“We must achieve air superiority for Ukraine like we achieved in the Black Sea.”. We can do it, the partners know what we need and in what quantities. It would enable progress on the ground. “Two days ago we proved that we can hit Russian aircraft that have not yet been shot down,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Davos Forum.
“Any reduction in pressure on the aggressor prolongs the war by years, but any investment in the trust of the defenders shortens the conflict,” Zelensky emphasized in his speech after criticizing the West's appeals not to take the lead during these months of war
The conflict is leading to further “escalation”, which requires more weapons and actions from the partners.
Zelenskyy used the Davos stage to emphasize that Putin does not want to stop at Ukraine: “If anyone thinks that this only concerns us, that this only concerns Ukraine, they are wrong.”he explained, then emphasized that “Putin's response to wishes for peace was to supply more and more weapons from North Korea and Iran.”
“The war will end with a just and stable peace, and we want you to be part of that peace from now on. To move closer to peace, we need you.” the Ukrainian head of state then explained in his address to the audience. “Here in Switzerland we have made a decisive contribution to its realization,” he added, pointing to meetings on the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula and the decision to organize a leadership-level peace summit on Swiss soil. A summit to which Zelensky invited “every leader and every country that respects peace.”
and international law”.
We need Putin to lose and “we can do it.” This year has to be decisive.”, and the Russian leader will never be satisfied with a frozen conflict, Zelensky said. “I remind you that after 2014 there was an attempt to freeze the war in Donbass. There were influential guarantors, including the German Chancellor and the French President.” But Putin is a predator who is not satisfied with frozen products.
We have to defend ourselves, defend our children and our wives and we can beat him on the ground, we have proven that.”he added.
“One man, Vladimir Putin, stole 13 years of peace and replaced it with pain, pain, pain that affects the entire world.” Putin embodies war, he is the only reason why certain wars and conflicts continue and all attempts to restore peace have failed, and he will not change.”added the Ukrainian president
“How can we be satisfied with sanctions that do not even block Russian missile production? Every Russian rocket contains key components from Western countries“That’s a fact,” Zelensky recalled. “Of course I am grateful for every sanctions package
be approved by the partners,” but peace can only be achieved “if it is ensured that the sanctions are 100% effective.” And it is a weakness of the West that the Russian nuclear industry has not yet been sanctioned, even if Putin is the only terrorist who has taken a nuclear power plant hostage,” Zelensky emphasized. In addition, “there must be a strong decision this year to lead frozen Russian assets to defend against it
“Russian aggression and the reconstruction of Ukraine”.
Video Ukraine, Zelenskyy meets Stoltenberg in Davos
Before his speech The Ukrainian President met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. “We discussed further defense cooperation between Ukraine and the United States. Air defense and long-range capabilities are particularly important for our country,” Zelensky wrote, appealing to the American people for “constant and vigorous assistance to Ukraine.” “We count on the United States’ continued support, which is essential to our country.” Zelensky further emphasized “We are committed to maintaining our support for Ukraine and working very closely with Congress.” Blinken said for his part after the meeting in Davos. “I know our European colleagues will do the same,” he added.
Von der Leyen: “Putin fails, Ukraine can win”
“Russia is missing its strategic goals. It is primarily a military failure,” added von der Leyen, explaining that the failure was also economic and diplomatic and “all this tells us that Ukraine can win this war. But we must continue to support their resistance. Ukraine needs predictable financial support in 2024 and beyond.”
“When Russia invaded Ukraine, many feared that Kiev would fall in a few days and the rest of the country in a few weeks. This didn't happen. Instead, Russia lost about half of its military capabilities.” Ukraine drove Russia out of half of the conquered territories. Ukraine repelled the Russian Black Sea Fleet and reopened a maritime corridor to supply the world with grain. And Ukraine retained its freedom and independence.”said the President of the EU Commission.
Russia's failure is also economic, he added: “Sanctions have disconnected the country’s economy from modern technology and innovation. Now it depends on China.” And finally, Russia's failure is also of a diplomatic nature. Finland joined NATO. Sweden will follow soon. And Ukraine is closer than ever to the European Union,” he explained.
“All this shows us that Ukraine can win this war. But we must continue to strengthen their resistance. Ukrainians need predictable financing through 2024 and beyond. They need a sufficient and sustained supply of weapons to defend Ukraine and regain their rightful territory. They need capabilities to deter future attacks from Russia. And they also need hope. They must know that with their fight they will create a better future for their children. And Ukraine's best future is Europe“said the President.
As for the EU's prospects, von der Leyen pointed this out “Once again, the sobering reality is that we are seeing greater competition between countries than in the past,” But “this is not the time for conflict or polarization, it is the time to build trust and advance global cooperation more than ever,” because “Europe can and must take the lead in shaping the global response” to the challenges.
In this context, the President of the EU Executive spoke about the prospects associated with the development of artificial intelligence: “The World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report sees artificial intelligence as one of the biggest potential risks for the next decade.” But let’s not forget that AI also represents a very big opportunity when used responsibly. I am a technology optimist. believes that artificial intelligence can “increase productivity at an unprecedented rate. Whoever moves first will be rewarded and the global race has already begun,” and “Europe must raise the stakes and lead the way to the responsible use of artificial intelligence”:
Europe, the President explained, is “well positioned to become a leader in industrial artificial intelligence, that is, the use of artificial intelligence to transform critical infrastructures to make them intelligent and sustainable.” The EU will use its competitive advantage, i.e. its own about 200,000 computer engineers with expertise in artificial intelligence, “a concentration greater than in the United States and China.”. And our continent also has an enormous competitive advantage when it comes to industrial data. We can train AI on data of unprecedented quality. And that's where we want to invest by giving European start-ups and SMEs access to our supercomputers so that they can develop and train large AI models. “This is similar to what Microsoft is doing for ChatGPT and running it on its own supercomputers,” von der Leyen said.
Li Qiang: “China's GDP will increase by about 5.2% in 2023”
The Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang He expects the Dragon's GDP to increase “by around 5.2%” in 2023: he said this during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Beijing government's official estimate was set at “around 5%” last March.
China's growth of “around 5.2%” in 2023 would mark an improvement from 3% in 2022, when the economy was priced out of draconian anti-Covid measures. However, the number would be the lowest growth since 1990, minus the pandemic years. “The Chinese economy has generally recovered and improved over the past year,” Li noted, recalling that a GDP of about 5.2% would be higher than the target “of about 5%” we set at the beginning of last year had set”. Despite the lifting of health restrictions, China is suffering from the severe crisis in the real estate sector, a lack of business confidence and stagnant consumption, while youth unemployment – which rose to over 21% in mid-2023 – has been removed from official statistics.
“No matter how the world situation changes, China will stick to its national policy of opening up to the outside world.” the Prime Minister continued at his debut in Davos, adding: “The opening is getting bigger and bigger.” The decision to enter the Chinese market is not a risk, but an opportunity“ But previous pro-business statements have been met with skepticism amid a broader anti-espionage law, raids on consulting and due diligence firms and exit bans. “We will take active measures to address the legitimate concerns of the global economic community,” Li noted. China's economy “is making steady progress, can cope with ups and downs in its performance, and will continue to provide global momentum” thanks to the “general long-term growth trend that will not change.” Li, who is leading a large government delegation to Davos, is the highest-ranking Chinese official to address the global political and business elite at the Swiss ski resort since President Xi Jinping attended in 2017.
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