Zelensky Bats for European Army to Counter Russia
NEW DELHI, Feb 15: The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pitched for the creation of a European army warning that Russia was “not preparing for dialogue” to end the ongoing war.
He cited Ukraine’s war against Russia as an example to say that it has proved that the foundation for the European army “already exists.”
His remarks came while speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany where he also raised suspicion of a possibility that “Americans might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it,” while noting that several leaders have highlighted the need for the continent to have its own military.
“I really believe that time has come. The armed forces of Europe must be created so that Europe’s future depends only on Europeans,” he said. “This (Russia) is not a country that wants peace. It is not preparing for dialogue,” Mr Zelensky warned.
He claimed that Ukraine had received intelligence reports that Russia was planning to send its troops to its ally Belarus on the pretext of training exercises and it posed a “direct threat” to the NATO countries. The Ukrainian President said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “clearly sees Belarus as just another Russian province now.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Zelensky said at the conference that Ukraine would need to double the size of its military if the country failed to join NATO. He met US Vice President JD Vance on Friday and discussed a peace deal for the Russia-Ukraine war. He said Ukraine wanted “security guarantees” before holding any peace talks with Russia.
Mr Zelensky had said on Friday that it would be “very, very, very difficult” for his country to survive without military support from the US now and in case of any future Russian attack. The US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the US military would not be stationed in Ukraine against Russian aggression.
(Manas Dasgupta)
