Alexander Van der Bellen

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen drew attention after urging Europeans to stop making themselves smaller than they are, citing the German term 'Selbstverzwergung' — self-dwarfing. Commentators, including Ukrainian voices, seized on the remark to argue that the only power pretending to be a giant while actually small is Russia, turning the quote into a wider debate about Europe's self-confidence and Russia's posturing.