Trump shifts responsibility for Ukraine war to Europe US leader’s speech at WEF 2026

US President Donald Trump told the audience at the World Economic Forum that responsibility for the Russia–Ukraine war should lie with Europe and not the US, citing geographical factors.

Speaking at Davos on January 21 in one of the forum’s most highly anticipated appearances, Trump addressed a range of geopolitical topics, as Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

During his remarks, the US president once again highlighted his efforts to “ending wars” worldwide during his year-old term, arguing that these efforts had come at a significant cost to the United States.

“What did the US get out of all of this work, all this money, other than death, destruction and massive amounts of cash going to people who don’t appreciate what we do?” he said. “I’m talking about NATO, I’m talking about Europe.”

Trump argued that the Russia–Ukraine conflict should be handled by Europe because of the United States’ physical distance from the region, and he reiterated his call for NATO member states to raise their financial contributions to the alliance.

At another point in his Davos speech, the US leader repeated a claim he has made many times before, stressing that the United States was "thousands of miles away, separated by a giant ocean" from Europe and Ukraine.

In addition to discussing foreign policy issues related to Ukraine, Greenland, and Venezuela, Trump also praised the economic performance achieved by his administration during his first year back in office, describing US markets as the "economic engine on the planet" and attributing this growth to his tariff policies.

By Nazrin Sadigova