President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Andreas Stroh / Zuma Press
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia could launch a war against NATO if the United States weakens its support for the Alliance. He said this in an interview with NBC on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
“We believe that Putin is preparing for a war against NATO. He can wait for the Alliance to weaken, which could happen if the United States decides to withdraw its troops from Europe,” Zelenskyy said.
His warning came against the backdrop of the words of Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who said on Friday during a visit to Warsaw that Europeans should not take the US military presence for granted.
Calls for the creation of a European army
During the second day of the conference in Bavaria, Zelenskyy also said that Europe could no longer rely entirely on the United States for security.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that America will refuse to support Europe at a critical moment,” the Ukrainian leader stressed.
In this regard, he called for the creation of a Joint European Armed Forces, an idea that has been discussed for many years but has not yet received significant support.
Negotiations without Ukraine and Putin’s fear of Trump
The US announced that it was sending a high-level delegation to Saudi Arabia for talks with representatives of Russia and Ukraine. However, according to Zelenskyy, Kyiv has not received an invitation to these talks.
The President of Ukraine also commented on the influence of Donald Trump on Vladimir Putin.
“I think Putin is a little bit afraid of Trump. He can really force Putin to the negotiating table,” Zelenskyy said.
During the conference, the Ukrainian president met with US Vice President JD Vance, who stressed that Washington wanted a “lasting peace”. In response, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine needs real security guarantees.
