‘Deserves a smack upside the hat’: Zelenskyy calls out one leader at Davos for ‘selling out European interests’’
At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a fiery speech that burned through the whole of Europe. He dragged the leaders inside Europe who, in Zelenskyy’s words, are helping dismantle it from within. But there was a special mention even without direct mention: Viktor Orban.
Zelenskyy’s Davos speech came at a moment of strain for Europe. He began by criticizing Europe as a “fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers” (via Reuters). He described the continent as “lost” and failing to take unified and decisive action against Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine. And soon, he accused the EU of responding to crises only after damage is done. That criticism followed a blunt warning:
“If Europe is not seen as a global force, if its actions don’t scare bad actors, then Europe will always be reacting — catching up with new dangers and attacks.”
From there, he pivoted sharply away from Moscow. He turned to leaders who align themselves rhetorically or strategically with Moscow while remaining embedded in European institutions. He warned that Europe’s adversaries do not operate only from outside its borders. In his words, forces working to weaken Europe “operate freely, even inside Europe.” And who are these forces?
“Every victor who lives off European money while trying to sell out European interests deserves a smack upside the head.”
The room didn’t need a translation for that reference. Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister and Europe’s most persistent internal dissenter on Ukraine, was the obvious target. Viktor Orban has spent years positioning himself as the EU’s internal spoiler. He has blocked or delayed EU aid packages for Ukraine and repeatedly vetoed or stalled Ukraine’s EU accession process.
Orban also maintains close political and economic ties with Vladimir Putin, even as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. And all this while Hungary benefits from billions in EU funds. Zelenskyy addressed that contradiction directly:
“And if he feels comfortable in Moscow, it doesn’t mean we should let European capitals become little Moscows.”
This wasn’t just a rhetorical flourish; it was a warning. European unity is collapsing not only under Russian pressure but through internal accommodation to it. And Zelenskyy made sure his jab landed without even attacking Orban directly.
But Zelenskyy’s sharpest point wasn’t geopolitical; it was moral. “We must remember what separates Russia from all of us,” he said. “Russia fights to devalue people, to make sure that when dictators want to destroy someone, they can.” In other words, Ukraine’s war is not just territorial. It’s about whether power flows upward to dictators or downward to citizens. And Zelenskyy made clear which side of that line Europe must choose.
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