As Trump-Putin summit nears, Zelenskyy calls for creation of ‘European army’
Global News
European leaders are reeling after Trump's decision to upend years of U.S. policy by holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday the time has come for the creation of an “armed forces of Europe” because the U.S. may no longer be counted on to support Europe.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hit back at Americans for meddling in his country’s election after U.S. Vice President JD Vance scolded European leaders over their approach to democracy and met with the leader of a German far-right party.
Forceful speeches from Zelenskyy and Scholz on Day 2 of the Munich Security Conference underlined the impact of a blizzard of decisions by U.S. President Donald Trump that show a rapidly growing chasm in transatlantic ties.
European leaders are reeling after Trump’s decision to upend years of U.S. policy by holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia on Saturday all but ruled out that Europeans will be included in any Ukraine peace talks.
Ramping up his desire for a more muscular and mighty Europe, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s three-year fight against Russia has proved that a foundation exists for the creation of a European army — an idea long discussed among some continental leaders.
“I really believe that time has come,” he said. “The armed forces of Europe must be created.”
Zelenskyy alluded to a phone conversation between Trump and Putin this week, after which Trump said he and Putin would likely meet soon to negotiate a peace deal over Ukraine — breaking with the Biden administration’s harder line against Moscow over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Trump later assured Zelenskyy that he, too, would have a seat at the table to end the war. The Ukrainian leader insisted Europe should also have one.
The ceasefire's first phase is set to end in two weeks and the second phase has yet to be negotiated, though talks were meant to begin two weeks ago.
The proposal did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, according to one current and one former senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks.
European leaders are reeling after Trump's decision to upend years of U.S. policy by holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Sources told Reuters that the United States had sent a document to European capitals asking questions that include possible future troop contributions.
It is the sixth swap since the ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19. Before Saturday, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners were freed.
The latest fighting is part of a major escalation of a conflict over power, identity and resources dating back to the 1990s Rwandan genocide.
The red and white has been a symbol of national pride for many decades, and in the wake of Donald Trump's anti-Canadian rhetoric, a sense of patriotism is sweeping the country.
U.S. Vice-President JD Vance warned governments that internal threats to democracy are a greater threats than external antagonists like China and Russia.
Alarmed that U.S. security priorities lie elsewhere, a group of European countries has been working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to enforce any peace settlement.
"There is no talk about strikes on nuclear infrastructure, nuclear energy facilities," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, denying Russia had any responsibility.
Ukrainians who fled to Canada following Russia's invasion say they feel betrayed by U.S. President Donald Trump's comments on the prospects for peace in Ukraine.
NATO's secretary-general said as the U.S. proceeds on Ukraine peace talks with Russia, the alliance will work to ensure Moscow never tries to attack Ukraine again.
European officials took an exceptionally firm line in public towards Trump's peace overture, saying they and the Ukrainians must be included in any negotiations.