It is time for an armed forces of Europe.
This was the key message from Ukraine‘s president at a major security conference in Munich that has brutally exposed European irrelevance when the US is not onside.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said such a force would not replace the transatlantic NATO alliance, but it would instead ensure that Europe is as strong as Washington – and taken seriously by friends and foes once again.
“We must build the armed forces of Europe so that Europe’s future depends only on Europeans and decisions about Europe are made in Europe,” he said, speaking on the main stage at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
It is a harsh truth that London, Paris and Berlin needed to hear as it becomes increasingly obvious that Washington under President Donald Trump is far more interested in going it alone rather than being the big – but benevolent – beast within an alliance of partners.
The problem though is that the armies, navies and air forces of the most powerful nations in Europe have been hollowed out since the end of the Cold War as government spending priorities shifted to peacetime niceties such as the economy, healthcare and social welfare.
In parallel, Europe lost its wartime mindset, honed on the battlefields of two world wars and the Cold War but then allowed to grow flabby as the continent reaped the benefits of peace, without appreciating the need to retain a fighting edge to protect its values.
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Naive complacency
The alarm bells to end this naive complacency have been ringing for the past decade but they finally reached a crescendo in Munich.
It is a moment of fundamental choice: Either Europe heeds the warnings or it prepares to be buffeted by the whims of Washington, Beijing or Moscow.
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Strong words aren’t enough
True to form, multiple European leaders, including the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, issued rallying cries to bolster defence spending and military capabilities.
But strong words alone will no longer cut it.
There needs to be a realignment of priorities, with individual citizens made to wake up to the responsibility every person holds to defend their values and their respective countries.
Drawing on Ukraine’s devastating war of survival against Vladimir Putin‘s full-scale invasion, Mr Zelenskyy urged the UK and other European allies not just to increase investment in defence but to ensure their populations have the will to fight.
“Money is needed, of course,” Mr Zelenskyy said, speaking in English.
“But money alone will not stop an enemy assault… It’s not just about budgets. It’s about people realising they need to defend their own home.”
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‘Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs’
The UK in particular has baulked in the past when other European leaders – most notably Emmanuel Macron of France – have lobbied for a European Union army, worrying that it would erode the collective deterrence provided by NATO.
But Mr Zelenskyy addressed this concern, saying: “This isn’t about replacing the alliance. This is about making Europe’s contribution to our partnership equal to America’s.”
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As for Russia‘s war in Ukraine, President Zelenskyy set out his red lines, which at times contrasted with Donald Trump’s vision for peace talks that have dominated the airwaves.
“Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement,” he said.
“If we are left out of negotiations about our own future, then we all lose,” adding that NATO membership for Ukraine was not off the table as far as he was concerned.
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‘What if Russia came for you?’
He also warned again of a potential widening of the conflict.
Citing Ukrainian intelligence, he said Russia was building a new force of up to 150,000 soldiers – roughly the same size as the entirety of the British army, navy and air force – that it would start deploying to Belarus, a close ally, under the pretence of training and exercises.
“Are these Russian forces in Belarus meant to attack Ukraine? Maybe. Or maybe not. Or maybe it’s meant for you,” he said, alluding to NATO allies Poland and the Baltic states.
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Mr Zelenskyy said he was intensely proud of how the Ukrainian people came together to stop Moscow from toppling Kyiv within the first few days of its war, before fighting to hold the line in battles that have been raging relentlessly ever since.
He then asked the audience of European politicians, diplomats and military chiefs in Munich: “If Russia came for you, could your army fight the same way?”
An uncomfortable question for deeply uncomfortable times.
