Zelenskiy says Ukraine working to set up Trump meeting

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Ukraine is working to set up a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, after giving a speech calling on European leaders to do more to defend the continent.

"The teams have been working on a meeting, they are currently in the process," Zelenskiy said of efforts to arrange a meeting with Trump. He was speaking in an interview panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Trump, who took office on Monday, has said he will stop the war in Ukraine swiftly without saying how.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine would not agree to Russian demands that it drastically reduce the size of its military, predicting that Russian President Vladimir Putin would demand Ukraine cut its military to a fifth its size.

"This is what he wants. We will not allow this to happen," Zelenskiy said.

In his speech, Zelenskiy said Europe must make itself a strong global player, able to guarantee peace and security for itself and for others. He suggested Europe had less influence over Washington because the United States viewed its allies' contribution to security as lacking.

"Does anyone in the United States worry that Europe might abandon them someday – might stop being their ally? The answer is no," Zelenskiy said.

(Reporting by Alessandra Galloni, Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Peter Graff)