Volodymyr Zelensky has warned European leaders Donald Trump will ignore them if the continent doesn’t take better care of its own defences.

The Ukrainian president insisted the continent had to become more independent of Washington because there was no guarantee his American counterpart was committed to Nato.

“Will President Trump even notice Europe? Does he see Nato as necessary? And will he respect EU institutions?” Mr Zelensky asked in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The wartime leader presented his scathing address as a wake-up call for European leaders, including in Britain and France, following Mr Trump’s inauguration on Monday.