Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for the creation of a European armed forces as the United States encourages Europe to take on more responsibility for its own defense.
Speaking to world leaders at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15, Zelenskyy said establishing a European military is necessary to ensure the future peace of the region.
“I really believe that [the] time has come,” Zelenskyy said. “The armed forces of Europe must be created.
“The old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s three-year fight against a Russian invasion demonstrates that a foundation exists for the creation of a pan-European military that has long been discussed by segments of the continent’s leadership.
However, it’s unclear how deep that support goes and whether ongoing diplomatic struggles between the European Union and the United States might push Europe to create a regional military or a European NATO alternative.
The EU has been one of Kyiv’s strongest backers since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. European nations together have matched the United States in aid spending to Ukraine, although Europe’s combined gross domestic product (GDP) is smaller than that of the United States.
Turning that shared mission into a workable international military force is another matter, however. Political disagreement throughout the EU concerning its stance toward Moscow, endemic economic troubles, and burdensome defense spending oversight rules could all torpedo such an effort.
“Let there be no room for any doubt, I believe when it comes to European security, Europe has to do more, Europe must bring more to the table, and to achieve this, we need a surge in European defense spending,” Von der Leyen said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14.
Von der Leyen noted that EU nations were spending about 2 percent of their GDP on defense on average but would likely need to increase those levels to above 3 percent.
That would still be well below the 5 percent that the Trump administration has urged its NATO allies to spend, a goal that the United States itself has not met since 1990.
European leaders have explored the idea of creating a combined military force for some time, but the sense of urgency caused by Russia’s invasion and the vagaries of the Trump administration’s posture toward Europe are speeding those conversations.
Some European leaders have quietly begun working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to help enforce any future peace settlement with Russia, a coordinated effort that could grow into a more formal joint military force.
Compounding the sense of urgency is a pervading fear that the United States will seek to sideline EU leadership from negotiations relating to regional peace, including a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, recently cut out European leadership from any Ukraine–Russia talks despite Zelenskyy’s call for Europe to take part.
Speaking at an event hosted by a Ukrainian tycoon earlier in the month, Kellogg said he thought the idea of Europe participating in Ukraine–Russia cease-fire talks was “not going to happen.”
“You can have the Ukrainians, the Russians, and clearly the Americans at the table talking,” Kellogg said.
Zelenskyy has also expressed frustration that U.S. leadership is attempting to eliminate Europe’s role in negotiating a settlement to the largest war in Europe since World War II.
“Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement, and the same rule should apply to all of Europe,” he said. “A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at the table. That says a lot.”
Likewise, Zelenskyy said, Europe’s partnership with Ukraine ought to be “equal to America’s.”
