*Calls for United European Army as US Commitment to Continent Wavers
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday he blocked a Donald Trump-led deal that would give the US access to vast amounts of Ukrainian natural resources as it lacked “security guarantees” for Kyiv and “does not protect us”.
Trump, a businessman leader highly critical of the money Washington has sent to Ukraine to fight Russia’s invasion, has pushed for access to rare earths in Ukraine.
Zelensky’s announcement came a day after Ukrainian officials gave the US a draft of the agreement and three days after Trump called Russia’s Vladimir Putin, with Europe and Kyiv alarmed the pair will try to end the conflict without them.
“The agreement is signed at the ministerial level. But I am the president and I will have an impact on the quality of this document. That is why I did not allow ministers to sign the agreement because it is not ready,” Zelensky told journalist at the Munich Security Conference.
“In my opinion, it does not protect us. It is not ready to protect us, our interests,” he added.
“It must be written out legally correctly, correctly, and it is an investment… If all this is connected with security guarantees. I don’t see this connection in the document yet,” he said.
Also, he has warned the days of guaranteed US support for Europe are over, as he urged the continent to band together to create a united army and foreign policy.
Volodymyr Zelensky spoke in a week when a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump raised fears in Kyiv that it was being frozen out of negotiations, with the White House also downplaying the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO.
“A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at that table. That says a lot,” Zelensky said in a robust speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
“The old days are over – when America supported Europe just because it always had,” he added.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on stage at the security conference, Zelensky conceded that he was “not happy” that Trump’s first call was with Putin. The Ukrainian leader warned that it would be even “more dangerous” however if Trump meets with the Russian president before him.
Trump hasn’t provided any commitment to meeting Zelensky first, the Ukrainian president told CNN. The US president did however understand the need to “meet urgently” to discuss “concrete plans” to end the war, Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian leader spoke the day after US Vice President JD Vance eviscerated America’s European allies at the security conference, in a speech that barely touched on the issue of Ukraine and a potential settlement with Russia.
“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,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president called for a united European army, as he acknowledged that the United States may not continue to provide military support as it once did.
“Let’s be honest – now we can’t rule out the possibility that America might say ‘No’ to Europe on issues that threaten it. Many leaders have talked about Europe that needs its own military – an Army of Europe,” he said.
Later in his speech, Zelensky accused Putin of playing a “game” by pursuing one-on-one talks with Trump and leaving Ukraine out of negotiations.
“Next Putin will try to get the US president standing on Red Square on May 9 this year, not as a respected leader, but as a prop in his own performance, we don’t need that,” he said.
In an exchange which prompted laughter from the crowd, Zelensky also admitted to having told Trump that Putin is afraid of him.
“I told Trump that Putin is afraid of him and he heard me. And now Putin knows,” Zelensky said wryly.
The Ukrainian president added that Putin appears to be the biggest influence on NATO and reiterated that peace talks on ending the conflict could not go ahead without Kyiv’s involvement.
“Right now, the most influential member of NATO seems to be Putin – because his whims have the power to block NATO decisions,” Zelensky said.
“Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement. And the same rule should apply to all of Europe,” he added.
“No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine. No decisions about Europe without Europe. Europe must have a seat at the table when decisions about Europe are being made,” Zelensky continued.
Earlier this week, NATO allies were left scrambling for direction after Trump’s administration signaled concessions to Moscow, upending the alliance’s approach to an almost three-year-old war.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also poured cold water on the suggestion of NATO membership for Ukraine, and said that a return to the country’s pre-2014 borders, before Russia invaded Crimea and eastern Ukraine, “is an unrealistic objective.”
Following Zelensky’s speech on Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Europe “urgently needs a plan of action” concerning Ukraine, or risk other global players deciding its future.
“This plan must be prepared now. There’s no time to lose,” Tusk said in a post on X.
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