Ukrainian President Voldy Milzelensky proposed on Saturday that an ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine (which has been around for nearly three years) indicates the need to create a unified force.
“I really believe the time has come,” Zelensky said. I said it early on Saturdayfor each Associated Press. “We must create a European army.”
“The three-year full-scale war proves that we already have the foundation of united Europe's military power,” he added, according to the Associated Press. “And now, when we fight this war and lay the foundation for peace and security, we must build European troops.”
His speech at the Munich security conference only strengthened the Ukrainian leaders' demand for greater military and economic support from their EU counterparts, and he also said that other European countries were It has consistently warned that the region may be vulnerable to the Kremlin expansion efforts.
Zelensky, who met Vice President Vance a day ago, also called out a recent conversation with President Trump during his remarks.
Earlier this week, Trump has indicated that he will soon meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sign a peace agreement to end the battle that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His country claims at the negotiation table that it will not approve the deal without Ukraine.
The president made it clear that war-torn countries would include, but Ukrainian leaders argued that Europe should also be involved.
“Ukraine will never accept any deals made behind our backs without our involvement. The same rules should apply to everything in Europe,” Zelensky said, adding, “Once (Trump) did not mention that America needed Europe.”
General Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration's special mission to Ukraine and Russia, largely ruled out the possibility in his remarks on Saturday, the Associated Press reported.
“I'm a school of realism. Kellogg said he added that at an event hosted by Ukrainian big names, “We need to ensure Ukrainian sovereignty.”
He also suggested that Europe was “important to this.”
Zelensky also pressed NATO to welcome Ukraine into the alliance, claiming last year it could potentially stop the “hot stage” of war. On Friday, he acknowledged that support to join the alliance was shaking, even before Trump took office.
Comments suggest that the possibilities are unrealistic at this point, following the rhetoric of Pete Hegses and Secretary of Defense Vance earlier this week. Hegses later softened his stance, but Trump's move to end the war rattles critics and allies at the same time.
