Donald Trump will attend next week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos digitally, organizers said Tuesday, as world leaders wait to hear more about the new U.S. president’s policies and his promise to end to the war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump will return to the White House on January 20, with his inauguration coinciding with the start of the 55th annual meeting of political and business leaders in the Swiss resort town.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will deliver a special speech and answer questions, the WEF said.
Other world leaders who will attend the meeting, which will include 60 heads of state and government, include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, said Borge Brende, President and CEO of the WEF, during a press conference on Tuesday.
Mr. Brende indicated that Mr. Trump, who has already participated in the Davos meeting twice, would join “digitally” on the afternoon of January 23, without giving further details. He added that it would be a “very special time” to learn about the policy priorities of the new Trump administration.
“There is a lot of interest in deciphering and understanding the policies of the new administration, so it will be an interesting week,” Mr Brende said.
Topics on the Davos agenda cover growing global geopolitical and economic uncertainty, trade tensions, climate goals and how artificial intelligence can help improve people’s lives.
Business leaders have become more optimistic about the economy given Mr. Trump’s promises to cut regulations, potentially cut taxes and ease restrictions on activities, including mergers and acquisitions, Rich Lesser, global chairman of the Boston Consulting Group, told Reuters before the meeting.
However, underlying optimism about Mr. Trump’s pro-growth policies is offset by concerns about tariffs, deportations, the widening budget deficit and the United States’ relationship with China, he said. he added.
“The complex web of geopolitics, the intersection with tariffs, the intersection with supply chains, the differentiation of competitiveness will be major themes,” added Lesser.
