Weber calls for EU military force to secure peace in Ukraine
Europe must take charge of Ukraine’s security instead of leaving it to Donald Trump and US forces, he said
Leader of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred
Weber, called on Friday for troops under the European flag to help
secure a future peace agreement in Ukraine.
The comments followed the latest round of talks between Washington
and Kyiv, which produced a 20-point plan to end the war, and is now
under review in Moscow.
The proposal includes undefined security guarantees for Ukraine, and
international forces deployed along the front line to monitor the
implementation of any agreement.
“I would like to see soldiers wearing the European flag on their uniforms,” Weber told a group of German media outlets, adding that the flag “must fly” at the front line after a ceasefire or peace agreement.
The idea is that soldiers would remain national forces, but operate
under a European mandate. According to Weber, Europe should take
responsibility for Ukraine’s security, rather than leaving it to Donald
Trump to secure a peace with US soldiers.
Weber, whose EPP is the largest group in the European Parliament, has long advocated for a European army, saying earlier this year that the time for it had come.
Several of Ukraine’s allies have already signalled their willingness
to deploy troops, including the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Denmark,
Norway, the Baltic States, and the Netherlands.
“When we talk about European troops, Germany cannot remain on the sidelines,” the Bavarian politician said.
Commenting on Trump’s recent national security strategy,
where Trump called on allies to “share the burden” and take “primary
responsibility for their regions”, Weber argued that Europe should write
its own framework.
On the same day, NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte said European defence should not be independent of the US, as he was “absolutely convinced” Washington still supports the alliance.
