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Europe must unite to form a new common Army to guard against the mounting threat from Russia, Ukraine’s president Vlodomyr Zelensky has said.
His comments came amid growing fears that Donald Trump plans to weaken US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and water down its commitment to Nato.
Mr Zelensky’s comments are reinforced by a separate warning by General Sir Richard Shirreff, Nato’s former supreme allied commander Europe.
Writing in The Independent, Sir Richard says the US can no longer be trusted as Europe and Britain’s ally. He calls for a dramatic rise in defence spending to avoid the risk of World War Three.
Speaking at the Munich security conference, Mr Zelensky said: “I believe in Europe and I urge you to act for your own sake, for your nations, your houses, your children, for our shared future.
“We need confidence in our own strength so that other people respect European power.
“I believe the time has come to create an armed forces of Europe… money alone will not stop an enemy assault. it is not just about budgets it is about people realising they need to defend their own home.
”We need this so that decisions about Europe are made in Europe.”
US president Mr Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin spoke this week about plans to bring the invasion of Ukraine to an end.
Mr 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.”
Washington has suggested Nato membership for Ukraine is off the table and Mr Zelensky will have to cede territory to Russia, but he said: “Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement.”
The Ukrainian leader’s comments came after foreign secretary David Lammy and defence secretary John Healey called on the UK and Europe to “do more” to “share the burden” of regional security in a joint article for the Daily Telegraph.
They also said that a “durable peace” would need a “continuing US commitment to its allies through Nato”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told Mr Zelensky that Britain is committed to Ukraine being on an “irreversible path” to joining Nato, after the US appeared to rule out its membership.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Healey and Mr Lammy said that for two decades the Russian leader has been “seeking to recreate the Russian empire and suffocate the countries around its borders”.
“Too often in the past, the West has let him,” they added. “We did too little in 2008 when he invaded Georgia, and in 2014 when he first went into Ukraine.”
Growing tensions between Europe and the US have been laid bare at the Munich security conference.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz denounced US vice-president JD Vance for attacking Germany and Britain over free speech in his speech at the gathering.
Vance lambasted European leaders on Friday, the first day of the conference, accusing them of censoring free speech and criticising German mainstream parties’ “firewall” against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“That is not appropriate, especially not among friends and allies. We firmly reject that,” Scholz told the conference on Saturday, adding there were “good reasons” not to work with the AfD.
Mr Scholz said Mr Vance’s remarks were “unacceptable”.