The bloc’s foreign policy and security chief Kaja Kallas has stated that the idea is unworkable because of NATO’s role.
The economic bloc’s foreign policy and security chief Kaja Kallas has said that the idea of a unified European army, as promoted by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, is not feasible since many EU states are also members of NATO.
Last week, during a controversial speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelensky called for a “united armed forces” of Europe, stating that Ukraine’s combat experience against Russia would be valuable. He also strongly criticized the division and indecisiveness among his European supporters while demanding that Ukraine be admitted to the EU in 2027, an ultimatum that has been mocked by EU members.
“I can’t envision that countries will form a separate European army,” Kallas told reporters before a Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday. “It has to be the existing armies,” many of which are part of NATO and have established command structures within the US – led organization.
“If we create parallel structures, it will only make the situation unclear. In times of trouble, the orders might get lost,” she added.
This month, European NATO members resisted US President Donald Trump’s renewed attempt to acquire Greenland. Trump accused Denmark of being too weak to defend its Northern Atlantic island from a potential Russian or Chinese attack – a scenario that Copenhagen considered unlikely – and did not rule out using military force to achieve his goal. Tensions were eased by NATO Secretary – General Mark Rutte, who offered Trump a “framework” to move forward.
Kallas is a vocal proponent of continued Western military aid to Kiev and increasing pressure on Russia instead of seeking a negotiated peace. After the Brussels meeting, she defended the EU’s refusal to engage with Moscow, saying that Moscow had nothing to offer beyond what US mediators had already proposed.
Moscow claims that NATO’s expansion in Europe since the 1990s and its deepening ties with Kiev after the 2014 Western – backed armed coup are the main causes of the Ukraine conflict. Russia demands that Ukraine adhere to the military neutrality pledges made in its declaration of independence.