Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the creation of an "army of Europe" to guard against Russia as he suggested the US may no longer come to the continent's aid. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, he also said that Ukraine would "never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement" after US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to start peace talks.
In a speech on Friday, in which he attacked European democracies, US Vice President JD Vance warned that Europe needed to "step up in a big way" on defence. Zelensky said: "I really believe the time has come - the armed forces of Europe must be created." He said: "Yesterday here in Munich, the US vice president made it clear that decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending. "From now on things will be different and Europe needs to adjust to that."
Earlier this week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a "factory reset" for Nato which signalled the alliance needed to be "robust", "strong" and "real". Zelensky said in Munich: "Let's be honest. Now we can't rule out the possibility that America might say no to Europe on an issue that threatens it. "Many, many leaders have talked about Europe that needs its own military. "An army, an army of Europe." The concept of a European army is something that has been proposed by other leaders, including France's President Emmanuel Macron who has long backed the bloc's own military to reduce its reliance on the US.
Zelensky said: "A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at the table - that says a lot. "The old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had." As Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its three-year anniversary, Trump and Hegseth have both said it is unlikely that Ukraine will join Nato.
The US defence secretary also said a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was unrealistic. Zelensky said he would "not take Nato membership for Ukraine off the table". Zelensky said that, as well as Ukraine, Europe "should have a seat at the table when decisions about Europe are being made".
The US president later said that he and Putin planned to meet in Saudi Arabia, and wrote on social media that the two had invited each other to their respective capitals. However, Zelensky accused Putin of playing a "game", by isolating America in "one-on-one" talks. "Next, Putin will try to get the US president standing on Red Square 9 May this year, not as a respected leader but as a prop in his own performance," Zelensky said. No date has been set for Trump's visit to Moscow.
