Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the creation of an “army of Europe” to guard against Russia as he suggested the US may no longer come to the continent’s aid.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he also said that Ukraine would “never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement” after US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to start peace talks.
In a speech on Friday, in which he attacked European democracies, US Vice President JD Vance warned that Europe needed to “step up in a big way” on defence.
Zelensky said: “I really believe the time has come – the armed forces of Europe must be created.”
The U.S. taxpayers have defended Europe for the last 75 years as a hedge against another World War and to counterbalance a Superpower Russia. Well, Russia is no longer a Superpower (a nuclear power, yes, but otherwise militarily and economically mediocre) and Europe has developed a robust internal mechanism in the E.U. to ward off mass conflagration. The benefits for the U.S. taxpayer to continue to pour trillions of dollars into the defense of other countries no longer warrants the cost.
Europe should defend itself and the U.S. should reshape our relationship as that of an ally – not a benefactor.