Zelensky calls for ‘armed forces of Europe’ amid altered EU-US ties

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Zelensky calls for ‘armed forces of Europe’ amid altered EU-US ties

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the creation of an “armed forces of Europe” as he addressed the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, pointing to the altered relationship with Washington under President Donald Trump.

Zelensky urged Europe to shape its own future in view of the threat emanating from Russia alongside Washington’s weakening commitment to the continent’s security. “The time has come, the armed forces of Europe must be created,” he said.

Such troops should not replace NATO, but level European defence contributions with those made by the United States, he said.

“Yesterday here in Munich, the US vice president made it clear. Decades, he said, decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending,” Zelensky said, referring to US Vice President JD Vance who addressed the gathering on Friday.

“From now on, things will be different, and Europe needs to adjust to that,” he said, noting Trump would reduce spending on European defence.

“Europe needs a single voice, not a dozen different ones,” Zelensky said.

“Some in Europe may be frustrated with Brussels,” he said. “But let’s be clear: if not Brussels, then Moscow.”

Zelensky also urged Europe to cooperate with Washington, saying otherwise, Moscow would take advantage of any divisions and tear Europe apart.

Belarus warning

Zelensky also warned that Russia may be preparing for further military escalation, with Ukrainian intelligence suggesting that Moscow is looking to move troops to allied Belarus this summer.

Russia is also building up of its armed forces further and is recruiting additional soldiers, he said.

The deployment in Belarus would be declared a military exercise, Zelensky said, adding this was how the Russian invasion of Ukraine began almost three years ago.

Belarus later denied it plans to rearm and attack its neighbours. “We do not pose a threat to anyone, we are not increasing the number of troops or weapons systems – unlike our neighbours, the Poles and the Baltics, who are focusing on militarization,” said the politically influential Secretary of the National Security Council in Belarus, Alexander Wolfovich.

No exercises are planned near the border with the NATO states this year, Wolfovich said, in order to avoid provocation.

Peace talks

Regarding negotiations to an end of the war in Ukraine, Zelensky called for the participation of European states, not just Russia and the US.

His comments come after Trump and Putin spoke by phone on Wednesday and agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine “immediately,” raising alarm among Ukraine and its European partners over potentially being bypassed in peace talks.

Raw materials for support?

Later, Zelensky said he would renegotiate a treaty with the US on the extraction of raw materials, saying he had not agreed to sign the agreement as it was not yet finalized at a press conference.

The contract should not just be about mineral resources, but should also include security guarantees, said Zelensky said, adding he had not seen that so far.

He said the agreement was signed at ministerial level but as president he would have influence over its content.

US President Donald Trump has said several times that Washington seeks access rights to Ukraine’s vast deposits of rare earth minerals and other natural resources, saying the US should receive something in exchange for its military support.

Zelensky thanks Berlin

Zelensky also thanked Germany for its backing though he did not say whether he is hoping to receive Taurus cruise missiles under a new chancellor after the ******* elections.

Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz has said he would have supplied the missiles that Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refused to give to Kiev.

Germany is the second largest supporter of Ukraine after the US. Zelensky underlined that further aid should not depend on who is in government in the US, amid fears that support could be scaled back under US President Donald Trump.

Earlier, Scholz insisted that negotiations with Russia must respect Ukraine’s “sovereign independence.”

The ******* leader made it clear that Ukraine must be enabled to effectively defend itself with substantial military aid in a peace settlement, as he addressed world leaders and foreign policy experts on the second day of the high-profile gathering in Munich.

“Ukraine must have armed forces at the end of any negotiated solution that can repel any renewed Russian attack. Financially, materially, and logistically, this will be an enormous challenge,” Scholz said.

The ******* chancellor emphasized that European and trans-Atlantic partners will continue to be needed for this effort, warning a victory for Russia or the collapse of Ukraine would not create peace.

Scholz rival also demands European involvement

Friedrich Merz, the conservative front-runner in next weekend’s ******* elections, also said Europe must be involved in negotiations to end the Ukraine war.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that Russia and the United States of America are negotiating without Ukraine and without the Europeans at the table,” he said.

Of Kiev’s hopes to join NATO, Merz said this is a joint question for the defence alliance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for bilateral meeting with ******* Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on the sidelines of the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) at the Bayerischer Hof conference hotel. Sven Hoppe/dpa Pool/dpa

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