The Ukrainian president called for Europe to build an army, while Macron called an emergency meeting of European leaders in Paris on Monday to discuss a response to the Trump administration’s tactics
THOMAS KIENZLE / AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gives a speech during the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany, on February 15, 2025.
With attendees still processing the waves made by US Vice President JD Vance’s Friday speech, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Saturday handed the mic back to the man who has been the toast of this town for three years running. Just days before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took the stage to a standing ovation that lasted almost a full minute and made him visibly emotional.
As conversations continue to swirl in the Trump era of trans-Atlantic relations over who is actually setting the agenda, Zelenskyy argued that it was actually Russia that is being allowed to do so: “This year, the country that was not even invited still made its presence known, a country that everyone talks about here—not in a good way.” He mentioned the strike on the shuttered Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine on the eve of the MSC, which he blamed on Russia, adding that “a country that launches such attacks does not want peace, is not preparing for dialogue.”
His statements hit on the two biggest talking points during the conference since US President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week to “start negotiations immediately” on a deal to end the conflict: what such a deal will look like and who will get a seat at the table as it’s worked out.
Zelenskyy brought up migration—an issue Vance spent much of his speech on—albeit in a different context, mentioning Russia’s alleged role in sending migrants across the border of Russian ally Belarus into NATO members Poland and Lithuania. “What if next time it’s not migrants? What if it’s Russian troops or North Korean troops?” he said.
Trump's envoy did little to allay European fears of being sidelined in negotiations for a Ukraine peace deal, saying that Europe would not directly be part of the process
He followed that more oblique reference by calling out Vance (and Europe) directly: "Yesterday here in Munich, the US vice president made it clear: Decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending. From now on, things will be different, and Europe needs to adjust to that," he said. "I believe in Europe, and I'm sure you believe, too. And I urge you to act for your own sake."
The solution, Zelenskyy said, is establishing a dedicated military force for the entire continent of Europe. "This is not just about increasing defence spending as a GDP ratio," he said, mentioning another of the conference's pet discussion topics. "It's about people realising they need to defend their own home. … Three years of full-scale war have proven that we already have the foundation for a united European military force."
The Ukrainian president also addressed a statement that another Trump official, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, made this week in Brussels: "The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement." (Hegseth later partially walked back those comments, saying nothing was off the table.)
"I also will not take NATO membership for Ukraine off the table," Zelenskyy said. He then threw a pointed barb at the alliance itself: "Right now, the most influential member of NATO seems to be Putin," he said, "because his whims have the power to block NATO decisions."
Other European officials whom SitRep spoke to say NATO membership for Ukraine should always be an option, even if it doesn't appear in the cards immediately. "It took around 10 years for Estonia to become a member of NATO; it took decades for Sweden. So we will never exclude the possibility of Ukraine being a member of NATO in one day," Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said. "Will it happen during the next four years? According to what Defence Secretary Hegseth said to us, probably not."
As a NATO and European Union member and fellow neighbour of Russia, Estonia has perhaps a greater appreciation than most for Ukraine's plight and a bigger stake in its fate. Speaking to SitRep on the sidelines of the conference on Saturday, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna echoed a sentiment that Zelenskyy had expressed: that despite Trump's overtures, Putin is in a weak position, and it's important not to give away too much leverage.
"Putin has failed. He planned a three-day special operation (in Ukraine), and now, instead of that, he's waging a third year of war with no strategic breakthroughs," Tsahkna said. "Now he wants to get results during the negotiations that he did not get during the war."
Meanwhile, Trump's envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, did little to allay fears of European countries being sidelined in negotiations for a Ukraine peace deal, saying on Saturday that Europe would not directly be part of the process. Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Kellogg urged European countries to earn their seat at the table by putting forward "concrete proposals, ideas" and ramping up defence spending.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, who is not in Munich this week, has called an emergency meeting of European leaders in Paris to discuss a response to the Trump administration's tactics. The meeting is expected to take place on Monday, Politico reported.
