Zelenskyy: Maduro faces trial in New York, but Putin doesn’t

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised what he described as the lack of accountability for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that while Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro is facing justice in New York, Putin remains free nearly four years after launching Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy said that despite being the author of the largest war in Europe since the Second World War, Putin has not been brought before a court and has even succeeded in blocking decisive European action on frozen Russian assets.

“Last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech by saying that Europe must know how to defend itself. One year has passed and nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I have to repeat the same words,” Zelenskyy said.

He added that global attention has recently shifted to new issues, including Greenland, noting that many world leaders appear uncertain about how to respond to emerging challenges.

Zelenskyy pointed to developments in Venezuela as a stark contrast. “President Trump launched an operation in Venezuela and Maduro was detained. There were different views on this, but the fact remains: Maduro is standing trial in New York, while Putin is not,” he said.

The Ukrainian President stressed that Putin remains not only at liberty but is also seeking the return of frozen Russian assets held in Europe with partial success.

“Fortunately, the European Union decided to freeze Russian assets indefinitely, and I am grateful for that. But when it came to using those assets to defend against Russian aggression, the decision was blocked. Putin managed to stop Europe. Unfortunately, he succeeded,” he said.