DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is headlining a hectic first full day of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, attended by top officials from the United States, the European Union, China and the Middle East and beyond Tuesday will also be in the foreground.

Zelensky will seek to keep his country’s long and largely stalled defense against Russia top of mind among political leaders, as well as Israel’s war with Hamas, which passed the 100-day mark this week, for much of the period What has caught the world’s attention and raised concern is a major conflict in the Middle East.

Tuesday’s activities began with a dizzying array of topics in the rooms of the Davos Conference Center, where discussions covered topics as diverse as innovation in Europe, the economic impact of generative AI, corporate support for clean technologies and high interest rates.

Talks with the prime ministers of Qatar and Jordan will round out the day’s most visible events, interspersed with speeches from Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Sullivan was asked by The Associated Press whether he would meet with the Chinese delegation in Davos as he headed for talks with Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and replied that he would not.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the world was focusing on attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea – which led to retaliatory strikes by the US and Britain – and was focusing “on the symptoms and not on treating the symptoms”. “The real problem” of Israel’s war against Hamas.

“We should focus on the main conflict in Gaza. And once it is defused, I believe everything else will be defused as well,” he said, adding that a two-state solution is needed to end the conflict.

Sheikh Mohammed also warned that military confrontation “will not curb” Houthi attacks.

“I think what we have in the region right now is a recipe for escalation everywhere,” he added.

Zelensky, once reluctant to leave his war-torn country, has recently embarked on a turbulent journey to try to drum up support for Ukraine’s cause against Russia amid donor fatigue in the West and concerns about the former U.S -President Donald Trump – who touted good relations with Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin could return to the White House next year after his comfortable victory on Monday in the Iowa caucuses.

It is Zelensky’s first trip to Davos as president after speaking by video in recent years, and he has drawn attention from the media and others trying to force him to speak – while surrounded by a large security presence is.

He hopes to turn the event’s high visibility into a bully pulpit to highlight Ukraine’s urgent needs, and allies will be lining up: business leaders and officials like von der Leyen learned what support was needed to help Ukraine rebuild, only by invitation. CEOs for Ukraine” session.

“It is time for us, for Ukrainian companies, for international companies, to rebuild the Ukrainian economy,” said Maxim Timchenko, CEO of Ukrainian energy company DTEK after the meeting. “To rely on ourselves. To build a future for Ukraine.”

He said it was “very important” for both Ukrainian companies and international companies to hear Zelensky’s statement that the government “will do everything possible to promote reforms and changes in our country and create conditions for companies to come and invest.”

A day earlier, Zelensky made a stop in the Swiss capital Bern, where President Viola Amherd promised her country would work with Ukraine to help organize a “peace summit” for Ukraine.

The theme of the Davos meeting is “rebuilding trust,” and it comes at a time when global sentiment is fading: wars in the Middle East and Europe have increasingly divided the world into different camps.

While the geopolitical situation is bleak, companies appear more hopeful – partly due to the prospect that artificial intelligence can help improve productivity. Leading Western stock indexes surged in 2023 and falling inflation raised hopes of a fall in interest rates.

AI is an important topic in Davos this week. Sessions scheduled for Tuesday include a key talk from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella – whose company has invested billions in ChatGPT maker OpenAI.

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AP journalists Masha Macpherson and David Keyton contributed from Davos.