"russia must lose" or 8 main messages of Davos 2023
What resonant statements were made by the delegates of this year's WEF
From Monday to Friday, January 16-20, the World Economic Forum (WEF) took place in the Swiss ski resort of Davos and was themed "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and many other prominent delegates shared their thoughts on how to tackle the challenges of 2023 jointly.
For the second year in a row, due to Western sanctions, the Davos Forum was held without the participation of russian officials and oligarchs. Nevertheless, the discussion of russia's fate in the context of the war in Ukraine was a rather hot topic.
Mind has collected the most important and resonant statements of the WEF 2023 participants.
Olaf Scholz: "russia must lose to end the conflict in Ukraine"
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in his WEF speech that Berlin had allocated 12 billion euros to Kyiv last year and would continue to support Ukraine "as long as necessary."
"At the end of October in Berlin, together with international experts, we developed a Marshall Plan for Ukraine's long-term recovery... Private sector capital will play a key role here. I know that many companies in Germany and abroad are well aware of the opportunities behind the Ukrainian economic miracle. Especially as Ukraine moves towards the European Union after the war is over. But for the war to end, russian aggression must be defeated. And that is why we are constantly supplying Ukraine with large volumes of weapons," Olaf Scholz said from the WEF rostrum.
During the forum, the German leader also gave an interview, during which he evaded answering the question whether his country would allow its Leopard tanks to be supplied to Ukraine. Olaf Scholz noted that the German authorities are consulting on this issue with their partners from other countries and are not taking hasty actions alone. According to him, it is necessary to avoid certain actions that could turn the conflict between Ukraine and Russia into a conflict between russia and NATO.
Ursula von der Leyen: Sanctions "leave russia's economy facing a decade of regression"
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her speech at WEF that the EU and its member states have already allocated about €50 billion in aid to Ukraine and will continue to help "as long as necessary."
"There will be no letup from our steadfast support to Ukraine, from helping to restore electricity, heating and water to preparing for the long-term effort for reconstruction," Ursula von der Leyen promised.
One of the forms of support for Ukraine in the war is to weaken russia. "We've put in place the strongest sanctions ever, leaving russia's economy facing a decade of regression and its industry starved of any modern and critical technologies," Ursula von der Leyen said.
Volodymyr Zelensky: "The time the world uses to think is used by the terrorist state to kill"
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the WEF via video link and called on allies not to delay the supply of weapons. According to him, russia is trying to strengthen itself and is preparing for revenge in the war against Ukraine and against the civilised world. And the world must mobilise faster than russia will.
"Tragedies are outpacing life. The tyranny is outpacing democracy. It took russia less than one second to start the war. It took the world days to impose the first sanctions for it. The time the free world uses to think is used by the terrorist state to kill," Volodymyr Zelensky emphasised.
Jens Stoltenberg: "Weapons are the way to peace"
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that a "turning point" is now being observed in the combat zone. In this regard, Ukraine needs to be supplied with weapons, including tanks and air defence systems. This, in his opinion, will bring peace talks closer.
"Weapons are the way to peace, it's a paradox. But the only way to negotiate a peace agreement is to convince putin that he will not win on the battlefield, that he has to sit down and negotiate... If we want to negotiate a peaceful resolution of the conflict tomorrow, we have to supply more weapons today," Jens Stoltenberg said.
Kristalina Georgieva: "Do russians want a war... No, they don't"
The Head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, addressed the participants of the Davos Forum with the words from the song "Do the russians Want a War." She expressed her confidence that the russian nation does not want war and called for a diplomatic settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
"It's tragic to see how russia taking such a course to destabilise Ukraine, but also to destabilise itself. And if we look at 2022, the single biggest factor affecting the global economy was this senseless war," the IMF chief said.
According to Kristalina Georgieva, the current conflict is having a devastating effect on consumer confidence and business confidence. And the sooner the end of the "horrible war" is agreed upon at the negotiating table, the better for the entire global economy.
Andrzej Duda: "In a few weeks, the world community will see will Ukraine survive or not"
Polish President Andrzej Duda called on partners to provide Ukraine with modern tanks and missiles, as putin's army is "still very strong" and a lot of russian soldiers are on the front line and seem to be preparing for new major offensive.
"I am afraid it will be in few maybe months, maybe weeks, the next crucial moment of this war. And this moment will answer the question: Will Ukraine survive or not," said Andrzej Duda. "We cannot allow russia to come out of the war against Ukraine with a clean face, with the feeling that it has won something. In order to secure the world, russia must fail in this war. They cannot win this war because they will immediately start another one, there can be no doubt about that."
Henry Kissinger: "Ukraine should be admitted to NATO"
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who had previously advised Ukraine to accept the loss of territory and neutral status for the sake of peace, has reversed his position. Speaking in Davos, the 99-year-old veteran of American diplomacy admitted that Kyiv now deserves to join the NATO alliance.
"Before this war, I was opposed to membership of Ukraine in NATO because I feared that it would start exacltly the process we are seeing now. Now that this process has reached its level, the idea of a neutral Ukraine under these conditions is no longer meaningful. At that the end of the process... it has to be guaranteed by NATO, in whatever forms NATO can develop. Now Ukraine's membership to NATO would be appropriate outcome," said Henry Kissinger.
Antonio Guterres: "We are facing a Great Fracture – the decoupling of the two world's largest economies"
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world is in a sorry state, and the risks of the geopolitical situation getting out of control are higher now than during the Cold War. The global economy is slowing down, recession is looming in many regions, inequality is growing, supply chains are disrupted, the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging, climate disasters could erupt, and the war in Ukraine threatens food, energy and nuclear security.
"All these challenges are inter-linked. They are piling up like cars in a chain reaction crash," Antonio Guterres warned.
The global economy, he said, could be shaken so badly that it would split into eastern and western blocs. The United States and China will lead two regions with different dominant currencies, different trade and financial rules, two internet and two conflicting military strategies.
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