Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on January 22 at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Europe needs united armed forces. According to him, these are forces that “can really protect Europe,” and NATO, on which Europe relies, “no one has actually seen in action.”
“Every European country has an army, and the armies of 23 countries are also part of NATO structures. I cannot imagine that countries will create a separate European army. These should be armies that already exist. We must see how this will work in practice,” Kallas commented.
In her opinion, the army should have “a very clear and understandable chain of command.”
“So that in case of emergency it is clear who gives orders to whom. If we create parallel structures, this will only confuse the situation. In difficult times, orders can simply be lost,” Kallas noted.
Context
On June 22, 2025, Zelensky stated, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that The Russians are “preparing new military operations in Europe.”
In December, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte noted that Europe must prepare for a conflict on the same scale that “our grandfathers and great-grandfathers experienced.”
On December 20, Reuters, citing six sources familiar with US intelligence, reported that illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to control not only all of Ukraine, but also parts of Europe that were once part of the Soviet empire.
January 10, 2026 Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albarez said that Europe needs to integrate the defense industry and move towards the creation of a European army.
The Ukrainian army could be the basis for the united defense forces of Europe, Zelensky believes.
