Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed at the Munich Security Conference the need for Europe to create its own army. As one of the reasons for this, he mentioned the possibility that the United States, with Donald Trump as president, would say no to Europe in cases where its security is threatened. And Trump's special envoy for Ukraine-Russia issues said that Europe will not be at the negotiating table. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also met with the new American administration in Munich.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the creation of European armed forces is necessary, adding that his country's war against Russia has proven that a basis for this already exists.
Speaking on the second day of the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said that Europe cannot rule out the possibility that the United States will say no to it in cases where its security is threatened.
"Let's be honest, we cannot rule out the possibility that America could say no to Europe on issues that threaten it. Many, many leaders have spoken about how Europe needs its own army, an army of Europe. And I truly believe that the time has come for this. The armed forces of Europe must be created," Zelensky said.
He said the three-year war in Ukraine had demonstrated that the basis for European armed forces already exists. The Ukrainian president also said that the time when the United States supported Europe was over. Without US support, he stressed that Ukraine, despite increased arms production, has little chance of surviving. Zelensky warned Europe not to be abandoned at the negotiating table by Trump.
"A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. He never mentioned that America needs Europe at the table. That speaks volumes. The old days are over – when America supported Europe just because it had always supported it. And the same rule should apply to all of Europe. No decision on Ukraine without Ukraine. No decision on Europe without Europe," he added.
With several European countries facing the risk of increasingly Eurosceptic electorates, Zelensky's ideas for further integration are unlikely to be realized, but his comments could spark more detailed discussions in Europe about the military role Europeans could play in Ukraine, including deploying troops on the ground to guarantee a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has urged Europe to engage with Trump, and not to believe he is abandoning them or Ukraine. He said "we are one family," adding that the Americans are right to say that Europeans are not spending enough. He expects NATO to adopt a new spending target in May, to be reached in four or five years, and a possible target for defense spending, set at 3 percent of gross domestic product. The current target of 2 percent is not enough, Rutte said.
Excluding Europe from the negotiations
Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's envoy, said on Saturday that Europe would be consulted but would not be part of the trilateral peace talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine.
"To my European friends, I would say: enter the debate, not by complaining about whether or not you can be at the table, but by bringing concrete proposals and ideas," he said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Kellogg said that one of the reasons why previous peace agreements between Ukraine and Russia had failed was that too many states were present at the table but lacked the ability to manage the peace process.
"We will not go that route," he added.
Kellogg's statements are expected to increase anger among some European leaders who distrust Trump and see their country's security as tied to the fate of Ukraine. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said French President Emmanuel Macron had invited European leaders to meet in Paris on Saturday to discuss the situation.
European leaders, shocked by US Vice President JD Vance's confrontational speech in Munich on Friday, are growing increasingly concerned about Trump's approach to a peace deal for Ukraine and fear that a deal could be reached that is favorable to the US but not to Ukraine and Europe in the long run.
"Europe urgently needs an action plan regarding Ukraine and our security, otherwise other global players will decide our future. Not necessarily in line with our interests... This plan must be prepared now. We have no time to waste," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on social media.
Kellogg said the critical issues are ensuring that war does not start again and determining how Ukraine would maintain its sovereignty. He said that would require credible security guarantees, adding that President Trump, as the sole decision-maker in the US, is not yet in a position to provide such a guarantee.
He also added that “Trump would need a wide range of options” and that “all options are on the table.” A key issue to be agreed upon is reaching an agreement on how ceasefire violations will be handled, he said.
In the wake of the talks with Trump, Zelensky is also trying to thwart an attempt by Trump to seize 50 percent of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. He rejected the offer because the U.S.-brokered deal did not contain the expected commitments to provide security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire. When asked about the rare earth minerals deal in Munich, Zelensky said talks were ongoing. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered Zelensky the deal during a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, after President Trump suggested the U.S. wanted roughly half a trillion dollars in Ukrainian assets in exchange for aid to the war-torn country.
Zelensky is seeking every opportunity to tie the US to long-term security guarantees for Ukraine that would protect the country from further Russian threats in the event of a ceasefire, but he is aware that a weak negotiating position could be exploited by Trump to formulate demands that will be difficult to counter.
The German Chancellor's reaction
And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also took issue with the United States in Munich on Saturday. Referring to Vice President JD Vance's statement that Europe, more than from Russia and China, is threatened from within and is falling foul of its fundamental values, Scholz called on him not to interfere in European democracy.
"We will not accept that people who look at Germany from the outside intervene in our democracy and elections and in the process of democratic thought formation in the interests of this party. This simply does not happen, especially not among friends and allies. We firmly oppose this. Where our democracy goes is our business," Scholz declared.
Scholz's comment follows the statement Vance made on Friday, after meeting with the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, Alice Weidel, during his visit to Munich.
Germany will hold general elections on February 23, and the latest polls show that the AfD enjoys the second-largest support at the national level, ahead of Scholz's party.
