Zelenskyy: Europe’s future security should rely on its own armed forces

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Europe create its own military force, warning that the United States might eventually pull its military support from the continent.

“Europe should have its own European army. It is necessary to create a united Armed Forces of Europe so that the future of Europe depends only on Europeans," Zelenskyy stated, during his speech at the Munich Security Conference, Caliber.Az reports via international media sources.

He proposed that the foundation of such an army could be built around the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), a move that aligns with his country's ongoing efforts to strengthen European security.

Amid concerns in Kyiv and Brussels that they could be sidelined in efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resulting in a deal favouring Moscow, he repeated that Ukraine and Europe must be involved in any negotiations.

"Ukraine will never accept deals behind our backs without our involvement," Zelenskyy said. "The same rule should apply to all of Europe. No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine - no decisions about Europe without Europe."

"We must act as Europe, not as some separate people," Zelenskyy said.

The call for a European army echoed comments made earlier by Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden. Frieden argued that Europe should prepare for the possibility that the United States might stop ensuring security on the continent, and emphasized that any European army should work in tandem with NATO forces. He also suggested that it could begin as a “coalition of the willing” among EU countries.

“The fact that it failed in the past should not be a reason for us not to try again. Because the world we live in has changed, and so has the nature of the threats,” Frieden remarked, pointing to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a key reminder of Europe’s vulnerability.

Frieden added, “Europe’s current situation does not provide the necessary level of security,” making it crucial for the continent to rethink its defence strategy.

While Europe has maintained battle groups of 1,500 troops since 2007, they have never been deployed.

By Tamilla Hasanova