“But no one is asking these kinds of questions about Europe. And we need to be honest about that,” Zelenskyy said.

Referring to last year’s IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, the annual inter-governmental security conference held in Singapore, Zelenskyy said the U.S. delegation had named the Asia-Pacific region as their top priority, followed by the Middle East and only then Europe — and that was under the Biden administration, which was broadly more committed to supporting America’s traditional European allies than the Trump administration promises to be.

“Europe can’t afford to be second or third in line for its allies. If that happens, the world will start moving forward without Europe, and that’s a world that won’t be comfortable or beneficial for Europeans,” Zelenskyy said.

While reiterating his gratitude for Europe’s help in Kyiv’s war against Russia, Zelenskyy noted that “it’s not clear whether Europe will even have a seat at the table when the war against our country ends.

“Will Trump even notice Europe? Does he see NATO as necessary? Will he respect EU institutions?” Zelenskyy mused, adding that Europe deserves to be more than a bystander, with its leaders reduced to posting on X after a deal has already been done.

“Europe needs to shape the terms of those deals,” he added.