No Tanks? Zelensky Uses Davos Pulpit to Scold Western Allies for Lack of Heavy Battlefield Weaponry

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine talks from a video screen to participants at the
AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Simon Kent

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky used the pulpit provided by the World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering in Davos on Thursday to complain about not obtaining enough main battle tanks from some Western countries to help turn back Russian forces.

Speaking by video link at a breakfast with U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, AP reports Zelensky offered a very public rebuke of countries like Germany, Poland and the U.S. that had not been quick enough to respond to his call for heavy battle tanks.

Zelensky bemoaned a broader “lack of specific weaponry” and said “motivation and morale” is not enough to defeat Vladimir Putin’s imperialist ambitions, even as the Russian leader has mocked Western tanks as nothing but battlefield fodder for his forces.

“And I would like to thank again for the assistance from our partners,” he said at the Victor Pinchuk Foundation breakfast through an interpreter. “But at the same time, there are times where we shouldn’t hesitate or we shouldn’t compare when someone says, ‘I will give tanks if someone else will also share his tanks.’”

Zelensky went on to declare air defense was “our weakness” in light of targeted Russian strikes, including use of Iranian-made drones, repeated his need for long-range artillery to fire at Russian forces in Ukrainian territory — but not into Russia itself, the AP report sets out.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg responded as directed by Zelensky, noting Ukraine’s Western backers this week will discuss ways to supply heavier and more advanced weapons.

“The main message there will be: more support, more advanced support, heavier weapons and more modern weapons,” Stoltenberg said of a gathering in Germany of top defense officials, including U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who work to coordinate military contributions to Ukraine.

“This is a fight for our values, this is a fight for democracy — and we just have to prove that democracy wins over tyranny and oppression,” the NATO leader added.

The push to grant Zelensky’s demand for more heavy armor came on the same day defense contractors were revealed to be raking in millions of dollars as the Biden administration pledges to continue supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” as Breitbart News reported.

So far, the U.S. alone has allocated $113 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes $24.2 billion in security assistance since the conflict began in February 2022.

Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com

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