Zelensky warns of Russian ‘war on NATO’ without US support for alliance
Russia could “declare war on NATO” if US president Donald Trump reduces his support for the alliance, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned in an interview with American news channel NBC.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is currently travelling through the Middle East and intends to meet Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia. According to Zelensky, Trump is capable of persuading Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire, almost three years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We think Putin is going to declare war on NATO,” Zelensky said during an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, calling on Europe to quickly work on a European army. He said Putin was counting on a “weakening of NATO” should the US withdraw its military support for Europe.
Lashing out
Belgium's Defence minister has previously criticised the US framework for peace in Ukraine, calling it a "victory" for Putin and "bad news for the West".
“I don't know if they [the Russians] want 30 per cent of Europe, or 50 per cent, I don’t know. Nobody knows,” Zelensky said. “But they will have that option.” He said the Russian army was already “training a large number of soldiers on the territory of Belarus”.
The leaders of major European countries are meeting in Paris on Monday to discuss security and Ukraine, at a time when the US is lashing out at the EU and wants to negotiate directly with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine.
The American vice-president, JD Vance, used his platform at the conference to attack the EU, accusing it of not respecting freedom of speech and confirming that the US is considering negotiations about Ukraine without Europe.
'Attack on Europe'
Belgium’s Foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, has repeated his European colleagues' stance that there can be no sustainable solution for Ukraine without the Ukrainians themselves and Europe.
“Although every initiative to bring peace to Eastern Europe is commendable, including American initiatives, these should never be used to circumvent the European Union and Ukraine, which should remain the primary partners in a credible solution in the region,” he said in Munich.
"With the Trump administration we must reconsider our relationship with the United States"
Prévot, of Les Engagés, said Vance's speech “seemed more like an attack on Europe than a desire to make Europe an ally in security matters".
"It illustrates the fact that with the Trump administration we must reconsider our relationship with the United States," he said, "which of course remains a great democracy and an important ally of Europe.”
The informal meeting in Paris is an initiative of French president Emmanuel Macron. He will meet with the leaders of Germany, the UK, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, the presidents of the European Council and Commission, and the NATO secretary general, according to a spokesperson for Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen. Belgium’s Bart De Wever is not expected to attend.
Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the Munich Security Conference, 15 February 2025 © PHOTO ANDREAS STROH / ZUMA PRESS WIRE
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