Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the creation of an “armed forces of Europe” to counter Russia, hinting that the United States may no longer be a dependable ally for the continent.
Speaking on the second day of the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said Ukraine’s three-year resistance against Russia has demonstrated that the groundwork for a European military force already exists.
“I really believe that time has come,” he said.
“The armed forces of Europe must be created.
“…Three years of full-scale war have proven that we already have the foundation for a united European military force. And now, as we fight this war and lay the groundwork for peace and security, we must build the armed forces of Europe.”
Zelensky also referenced a recent conversation between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which Trump suggested the two could soon meet to negotiate a peace deal over Ukraine.
“Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement, and the same rule should apply to all of Europe,” Zelensky 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.
“The old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had.”
Calls for a European army are not new, with several European leaders advocating for greater military integration over the years.
In 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the need for a “true European army” to reduce dependence on the United States and bolster Europe’s own defence. Speaking to French broadcaster Europe 1, Macron warned of growing threats and argued that Europe must “protect itself” against potential adversaries, including Russia.
Later that same year, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel echoed Macron’s sentiment in a speech to the European Parliament, stating: “We have to look at the vision of one day creating a real, true European army.” Merkel argued that greater European military cooperation would complement NATO, not replace it, and strengthen the EU’s ability to act independently when necessary.
More recently, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also backed the idea of increased EU military autonomy. In a 2023 speech in Prague, he called for the formation of a European rapid reaction force by 2025 and the creation of an EU military headquarters, emphasising the need for Europe to be capable of defending itself. He also urged member states to coordinate their defence procurement to improve efficiency.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who previously served as Germany’s Defence Minister, has also expressed support for a European army. In 2019, she stated that “Europe’s army is already taking shape,” arguing that the continent must strengthen its defence capabilities in response to geopolitical challenges.
Her predecessor, Jean-Claude Juncker, had gone even further in 2015, openly calling for the establishment of an EU army as a way to “show the world that there will never again be a war between EU countries” and to deter external threats.
In 2021 an Irish political party was formed, Volt Ireland, explicitly advocating for a European superstate, with its own armed forces.
At the time, the party emphasised the importance of developing “a European military culture and identity,” along with a “European Defence Force” (or EDF) that would cooperate with NATO.
“We can already start rationalising procurement of new [weapons] systems,” the group said.
“Once a European Army has been established, the EDA [European Defence Agency] would function as the EU procurement agency.”
Notably, in May of 2023, then-Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the idea that EU countries wanted a European army as a “fictional notion.”
Speaking on the on the Consultative Forum on international security policy, he said “I hope the Forum will also allow us to put aside for good, the fictional notion that Europe’s Common Foreign and Security Policy is a stepping stone to a European army – a concept which no country in Europe wants or is considering.”