Former head of MI6 Sir Richard Moore called on European leaders to take seriously the frank and harsh criticism voiced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 22 January.
In his speech, delivered immediately after an hour-long meeting with US President Donald Trump, Zelensky sharply criticised European countries for their slowness, indecision and lack of political will in confronting Russian aggression. He noted that exactly one year ago in Davos, he warned: ‘Europe must learn to defend itself.’ According to the Ukrainian leader, over the past year ‘nothing has changed,’ and the continent continues to be in a state of ‘Groundhog Day’ — an endless repetition of discussions without real action.
Former MI6 chief Richard Moore, who headed the agency until September 2025, described Zelensky’s speech in comments to the media as ‘powerful’ and ‘an uncomfortable truth’ for the European elites. In his opinion, Europe has no right to ignore these ‘uncomfortable messages’ and must learn from what it has heard.
‘European leaders must take what Zelensky said seriously. This is not just an emotional speech — it is a signal about systemic problems in European security and unity,’ Moore said.