The creation of a united armed force of Europe within the next 3-5 years is a realistic scenario, but it depends on the pace of decision-making in the EU, access to components for weapons production, and, most importantly, on the political will of Europeans. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, answering journalists' questions about whether European countries can accelerate this process after his speech last year and against the backdrop of Donald Trump's speech in Davos, UNN reports.
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According to the head of state, a 3-5 year horizon, "maybe even 5 years," is generally sufficient to move from talks to real steps, although there is "no time for this" amid growing threats. At the same time, the president emphasized that this is not about an abstract idea, but about plans based on documents and practical actions.
I have spoken about this repeatedly. This is evidenced not only by their developments, but by real documents, their steps. They are based on the fact that their army will be 2.5-3 million. They want to achieve all this by 2030. And by their speed, we see that this is possible. I'm not saying it will happen. It's possible
He also drew attention to the fact that the pace of rearmament and production growth may slow down due to dependence on component supplies.
I don't want to just be a parrot, but if they stop supplying components, then, probably, it will be slower. There is the filling of missiles... and drones... a lot of things that are affected by the possibilities of supplying components and imported components
The President emphasized that for the formation of capable European united forces, not only numbers are important, but also technological capability and combat experience. He noted that since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine has practically become a testing ground for modern warfare for Western weapons, helping partners understand which solutions work and which do not.
Since the beginning of the war, when Ukraine took and used European-American and other weapons, it showed a lot, adjusted something... artillery was adjusted, it showed which shells work and which do not in modern warfare
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the situation is similar with drones: what was critical aid at the start of the invasion no longer meets the requirements of the front.
Drones were given to us. They don't work today. And today we produce drones of a different generation. And our partners also have these technologies
Separately, the president mentioned the development of joint production as another practical tool for integrating Ukrainian experience into future European security structures.
What is missing, we will open Co-Production and they will have it. This is already a great, in principle, contribution of Ukraine to such united armed forces
At the same time, the key element, according to the President of Ukraine, remains human resources and combat experience. He compared the potential of Russia and Europe in the context of troop preparedness, emphasizing that Russia already has a significant layer of military personnel with combat experience.
When we talk about 2.5-3 million, let's... we are talking about trained people, with war experience, about Russia. At least 1.5 million with war experience they have
According to him, European forces should be discussed not only in terms of numbers.
We are talking not only about quantity, but about capability, about experience. And without the Ukrainian army, without a million Ukrainians, it is impossible. And this will be the basis of such an army for them
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the implementation of such a scenario depends on a joint decision and the determination of partners.
This can be done if everyone has such a desire now. Not only Ukraine, but certainly first and foremost Europeans
In conclusion, the head of state described the threat from Russia as a machine for producing weapons and mobilization resources that needs to be stopped systematically.
Russia did not just start this machine... Who stopped it?... One traffic light was stopped, that's Ukraine, but it won't be red forever. Help is needed
Recall
President Zelenskyy stated that the Ukrainian army, with the greatest combat experience, can become the basis of Europe's united forces. He emphasized that financial support for the military is needed to preserve personnel potential after the war.