Feb. 15 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky championed the idea Saturday of creating a European military force to ensure the rest of the world does not treat it like a “pushover.”
“I really believe that the time has come that the armed forces of Europe must be created,” Zelensky said during the Munich Security Conference, while also touching on the possibility of American military support in Europe ending.
“Let’s be honest, now we can’t rule out that America might say ‘no’ to Europe on issues that might threaten it.”
Earlier in the week, U.S. Vice President JD Vance took aim at European allies during a speech at the security conference.
“What I worry about is the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America,” Vance said during his speech, adding he is less worried about external threats.
Vance also raised eyebrows when he later met with Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany, or AFD party. The AFD has been getting support from Donald Trump advisor Elon Musk.
Zelensky said Friday he is not expecting any sort of peace deal with Russia in the near future, citing difficult negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin cannot offer real security guarantees,” he said. “Not just because he is a pathological liar but because Russia, in its current state, needs war to hold power together. And the world must be protected from that,” Zelensky said Saturday.
Zelensky’s speech came one day after he confirmed a Russian drone struck the shelter surrounding the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president said the stagnation in the now three-year-old war between the two countries is another reason Europe needs its own fighting force.
“Europe has everything it takes. Europe just needs to come together and start acting in a way that no one can say ‘no’ to Europe, boss it around, or treat it like a pushover,” Zelensky said during his speech.
“Putin cannot offer real security guarantees. Not just because he is a pathological liar but because Russia, in its current state, needs war to hold power together. And the world must be protected from that,” he said.
Europe will be consulted but ultimately excluded from the planned peace talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said Saturday.
Kellogg said he was from “the school of realism, and that is not going to happen,” noting that previous peace talks failed was because of the involvement of too many countries.
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