KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Britain to rejoin the European Union to bolster the Continent’s defence against Russia.The Ukrainian president, who has aggressively pushed for his country’s fast-tracked accession to the bloc, said that the UK must reconsider its position if the US were to withdraw from Nato.
“If the United States truly thinks about withdrawing from Nato, then European security will be based solely on the EU. But not in its current form,” he told The Rest is Politics podcast.
Zelensky added: “I think that the EU is in a situation where it needs more
countries. The UK, Ukraine, Turkiye and Norway. These are four strong countries, which are part of Europe.”
Together, he said, the EU would have a combined military strength greater than Russia’s. “With the four countries on board, you can wrest control of the seas, have secure skies and the largest land forces.”
Sir Keir Starmer has consistently ruled out the UK rejoining the 27-member
bloc, but last week said he would pursue closer economic ties with the union. There has been no immediate response from No 10 about Zelensky’s remarks.
Zelensky said that amid Washington’s fracturing relationship with Europe, the Continent must prioritise its security.
Donald Trump’s relationship with Nato allies has been deteriorating rapidly – a process turbocharged by his anger over the alliance’s refusal to join his war on Iran.
The US president is threatening to abandon the “paper tiger” alliance, leaving it in an unprecedentedly precarious state.
He has stated plainly that he no longer regards Europe as a reliable defence partner.
Meanwhile, a rift is growing between Ukraine and the White House over accusations that the Trump administration has adopted an increasingly pro-Kremlin posture.
In the face of Washington’s fractured relationship with Europe and increased Russian aggression, Zelensky said: “Europe has to think, first of all, about security and how to hold the life which they like, how to save their history and their independence.”
