EU needs more countries to defend Europe’s land, sea and air, warns Ukraine’s president, as Trump considers US exit from the alliance
Sir Keir Starmer, seen with Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last year, currently only wants closer economic ties with the EU Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty
Iona Cleave is a Foreign Breaking News Reporter at The Telegraph. She covers defence, war and breaking news from across the world, particularly the US, Middle East and Russia-Ukraine war.
Published 10 April 2026
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Britain to rejoin the European Union to bolster the Continent’s defence against Russia.
Ukraine’s 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,” Mr Zelensky told The Rest is Politics podcast.
He added: “I think that the EU is in a situation where it needs more countries. The UK, Ukraine, Turkey 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 Mr Zelensky’s remarks.
Mr Zelensky said that amid Washington’s fracturing relationship with Europe, the Continent must prioritise its security.
Donald Trump’s relationship with his Nato allies has been deteriorating rapidly – a process turbocharged by his anger over the alliance’s refusal to join the US 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.
British and German forces take part in the NATO Dragon 24 military exercise in 2024 Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty
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, Mr 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.”
Ukraine sees its accession to the EU as a guarantee of its future security and has made it a central priority in negotiations of a peace deal with Russia.
Mr Zelensky has long framed Moscow as an existential threat to European peace, drawing on Russia’s hybrid warfare attacks against Kyiv’s main military backers.
Nato forces on exercise in Romania last year. Europe has to think urgently about security, said Volodymyr Zelensky Credit: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP
Kyiv achieved official EU candidate status in 2022, with negotiations starting in June 2024. Yet its path to the Brussels-based bloc – which usually takes years – remains fraught.
Mr Zelensky is lobbying for a 2027 entry, which EU officials say is highly unlikely, given major reforms need to be completed first and the country is still at war.
Several rounds of US-mediated talks have failed to bring an end to the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War and negotiations have largely stalled since Washington’s attention shifted to Iran.
However, a top aide to Mr Zelensky signalled on Friday that Ukraine and Russia may be moving towards an agreement to end the four-year war.
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the president’s office and lead negotiator in the talks, told Bloomberg: “No final decision has been made yet… But, in principle, everyone now clearly understands the limits of what is acceptable. That’s enormous progress.”
Vladimir Putin also announced a truce over Orthodox Easter from late Saturday through to Sunday. Ukraine remains wary after previous temporary ceasefires were quickly violated.
Kyiv also remains concerned about a waning of international attention because of the conflict in the Middle East and that Western military resources and political capital are now being consumed elsewhere.
Mr Zelensky has been vocal that, as far as Ukraine is concerned, its fight against Russia and the US-Israeli war against Iran are part of the same front.
Ukraine must join the EU and the U.K. must rejoin; or at least renegotiate the terms of Brexit.
Many people voted leave without realising that they would lose the right to live and work in the EU. Ludicrous!
In 2016, I believed we should remain and I was absolutely shocked when the vote went the other way. There is no doubt that there was a huge putinaZi campaign using Farage overtly and an army of bots and “influencers” covertly.
However, the behaviour of the remainers was so extreme and undemocratic that I became a leaver with Boris.
My desire to rejoin is simple : the trumputler axis of evil.
There will have to be a new alliance of countries consisting exclusively of a) those that will fight ruZZia and b) have the capability.
The senior service should be Ukraine, backed by CANZUK, Poland, France, Germany, Holland, the Scandies, the Balts and Romania.
Nato is dead. The EU must expel Hungary; regardless of who wins the election and Slovakia.
The EU as the beneficiary must fund this pact, which must be a hard-nosed killing machine, not a bunch of talking heads.
At this point what can I do but wait in the cold for the whirlwind, for we have reaped it!
God have mercy on our souls!
Psalm 91:1-9 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
Comment from :
GRAHAM REEVE
Watch or listen to the actual interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uCjUbVu5aY). Or at the very least, I’ve copy-pasted the relevant part of the transcript of the interview below. The author’s framing of this is deliberately deceptive– he never said what she implies. He’s simply talking about European military strength being not just the EU, but ALSO allies of the EU. Specifically the UK, Turkey, Ukraine and Norway.
Interviewer: But you mentioned NATO a couple of times, and Trump is currently saying he thinks NATO is a bit of a busted flush. Europe is very good with the words of support, but is that being matched by reality? And can they fill a gap that the Americans might leave in your defences?
Zelensky: This is a difficult question. As I said a little bit earlier, I really think the union between the United States and Europe is very important. And if the United States really thinks about how to withdraw from NATO — what we heard from officials, even publicly, that they think about it — all security in Europe will be based only on the EU.
So we want, for example — and you will understand me — we want to be part of the EU, and we will be, I’m sure. But I think that for today the EU is in such a situation when they need some countries: UK, Ukraine, Turkey, Norway. There are different questions to each of these countries according to the laws, internal questions, et cetera. But there are four strong countries which are part of Europe.
Between us: UK, Ukraine and Turkey — this is an army which will be stronger than the army of Russia. That is the answer. Without Ukraine and Turkey, Europe will not have an army similar to what Russia has. With Ukraine, Turkey, Norway and UK, you will control security on the seas — not one sea — this is the answer.
That’s why the EU also has to find a way — a friendship, strategic partnership way — how to involve these four countries and be the strongest union of economy and security. It’s not about offensive — no, no, no. I’m speaking only about defence: security in the sea, security in the sky, and the biggest land forces.
The UK rejoining the EU would be a good idea. Maybe the UK could first convince the EU that it needs to be fixed. There is no way that this organization will move fast enough and with the required determination that would be so important in this difficult world as long as a small, insignificant corrupt trash country can cripple its advancement.
EU…
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=898110069016673&id=100064530650959
Sounds like a good idea.
Clearly not anyone’s top priority, but a good idea nevertheless.
Until you either lose an eye or ruin your $500 suit.
😂 The problem isn’t the plastic, the problem is stupid people not putting their garbage where they belong.
I’m going to go out on a limb here, and guess that it’s easier to attach the cap to the bottle than to get stupid people to not be stupid.
🙂
Now to find a way to attach the bottles to the morons.