Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy combed the corridors, meeting with leaders such as Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, as well as German opposition leader and would-be chancellor Friedrich Merz in an effort to stir up support for Ukraine's fight against Russia.

In 2017, weeks after Donald Trump’s first presidential election victory, Xi Jinping became the first Chinese head of state to address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — winning applause as he inveighed against protectionism and declared that a trade war would hurt both sides.