Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday pitched his idea of the creation of the “armed forces of Europe”, as he stressed its indispensability saying, "The time has come." He backed the idea with the assertion that his country's fight against Russia has proved that a foundation for it already exists. He cautioned Europe as he hinted that Europe cannot rule out the possibility that the US might say no to the continent on issues that potentially threaten it.
What makes Zelenskyy pitch the "armed forces of Europe" idea
Zelenskyy noted that many leaders have long spoken about how Europe needs its own military, adding, "America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it."
The Ukrainian President, who was addressing the Munich Security Conference, said, “I really believe that time has come. The armed forces of Europe must be created." Zelenskyy floats his idea of “armed forces of Europe” as US President Donald Trump continues to push Europe to increase its military spending.
Trump has been pushing NATO member countries, like Germany, to spend more on their militaries and has gone so far as to call for an ambitious — if not unrealistic to some — target for alliance members to commit 5 per cent of their economies on defence, far more than the current 2 per cent goal.
Notably, only 23 of NATO's 32 member nations are hitting the Western military alliance's target of spending 2 per cent of the nation's GDP on defence.
Zelenskyy seeks "security guarantees" from US
Moreover, Zelenskyy, who met US Vice President JD Vance on Friday at the Munich Security Conference, made it clear that his country wants “security guarantees” before any talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war.
The future of Ukraine remained the top item on the agenda at the Munich Security Conference following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. In their phone call, both leader pledged to work together to end the 3-year-old Russia-Ukraine conflict.
(With inputs from AP)
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