Wars to cast pall over meeting of global VIPs in Davos

PARIS, France — The world's political and business elites will convene in Davos next week, with wars in Gaza and Ukraine set to dominate the annual gabfest in the Swiss Alps.

Russia's nearly two-year-old assault on Ukraine has taken centre stage at previous editions of the World Economic Forum (WEF), with Kyiv dispatching officials and lawmakers to lobby allies for more weapons and funding.

A meeting of national security advisers on the "Ukrainian peace formula" will take place on Sunday in Davos on the eve of the forum's kick-off, which President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend in person for the first time.

But the WEF will now also wrestle with concerns that Israel's war with Hamas could grow into a wider Middle East conflict, with global trade already disrupted by attacks by Yemeni rebels on commercial ships in the Red Sea, sparking US and British air strikes in response early Friday.

A cascade of other global threats ranging from climate change to a cost-of-living crisis and a sputtering economy will share the agenda at the meetings starting Monday under the theme "Rebuilding Trust".

The gathering "is taking place against the most complicated geopolitical and geoeconomic backdrop in decades", said WEF president Borge Brende.

A broad cast of political heavyweights will descend on Davos, ranging from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to French President Emmanuel Macron and a clutch of Middle East leaders, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog and leaders from Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon.

"We know that the war in Gaza is still going on and there are worries for a further escalation," Brende said, adding that the WEF meeting would "look how to avoid a further deterioration".

Ukraine will continue to make its case for sustained Western aid, with Zelensky, who had previously appeared via video link, set to meet CEOs.

Trade and diplomatic tensions between the United States and China add to the complex geopolitical picture in Davos.

On top of this come major elections in several countries this year, including Britain, India and the United States, where Donald Trump is widely favoured to secure a rematch against President Joe Biden.

A WEF survey released Wednesday