Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with US Vice President J.D. Vance in Munich, Germany, 14 February 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the creation of a joint European military force to defend the continent from the threat posed by Russia amid increasing uncertainty over the future of US military support for both Ukraine and its own NATO allies.
Speaking to Western leaders at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Zelensky said that European countries needed to step up their defence efforts by creating a joint military force as the “old days” of the US supporting Europe “just because it always had” were over.
“Let’s be honest: now we can't rule out the possibility that America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it”, Zelensky said, adding that a joint “armed forces of Europe” would help ensure that the continent’s future would be decided by Europeans alone.
During a call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, during which the two discussed Trump’s conversation with Putin earlier the same day, Zelensky said that Trump had not mentioned any need for Europe to be ”at the table” during negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Amid reports of potential US-Russia talks that would see Ukraine frozen out, Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv would “never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement” and invited Ukraine’s Western partners to a summit in Kyiv on 24 February, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Despite the Trump administration appearing to rule out Ukraine joining NATO earlier this week, Zelensky insisted that Kyiv would not abandon its membership bid, though he noted that in reality the “most influential member of NATO seems to be Putin, because his whims have the power to block NATO decisions”.
On Friday, Zelensky met with US Vice President J.D. Vance on the sidelines of the conference, shortly after Vance had stunned delegates by claiming in his speech that the biggest security threat to Europe came from its “retreat from some of its most fundamental values” and argued that the continent should “step up in a big way to provide for its own defence”.
While Zelensky and Vance both hailed what they called a “good conversation” on ending the war, a number of reports suggested that Trump's team had proposed a deal that would grant the US 50% of Ukraine’s rare earth mineral reserves worth $500 billion as repayment for military aid provided by Washington since 2022 — an offer Zelensky is reported to have declined.
