Will the European Union raise an army of its own?

How will it be different from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) as many of the EU bloc members are in the 32-member defence pact?

Will the proposed EU Force or the EU Army undermine NATO and weaken the US?

Volodymyr Zelensky Bats For EU Army

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shocked the diplomats and the geopolitical experts across the world when he demanded that the EU should have an army of its own.

Upset over US President Donald Trump’s decision to stop funding and arming Kyiv in its war against Russia, Zelensky said that Europe could no longer be sure of protection from Washington.

Peeved at the US pressure to stop the war, the Ukrainian president said that the countries of the continent would only get respect from Washington if they had a collective and strong military.

Poland Rejects EU Army

Rejecting the idea of a European Army, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in the most unequivocal terms that the European countries will not create one unified army in response to threats from Russia.

He told journalists, “If you understand by it the unification of national armies, it will not happen.”

However, he clarified that he had been “an advocate for Europe, for the European Union, to develop its defence capabilities.”

Poland is a member of the EU and NATO. As of now, 23 of the 27 EU member states are also members of the trans-Atlantic defence group. Austria, Cyprus, Ireland and Malta are not members of NATO. On the other hand, the UK is a NATO member, though it quit the EU in 2016.

Can EU Members Raise Army To Stop Russia?

However, many experts believe, an EU Army cannot be ruled out. An analyst of international relations, Colonel (Retired) Sanjeet Sirohi told News 24 English Digital that many EU member states are afraid of the increasing Russian influence.

He pointed out that if the US fails to address the concerns of these nations and NATO remains under the dominance of the US, the EU member states may come out to form a unified army to safeguard their interests and stop Moscow.

He emphasised that a parallel EU army is quite possible.

Czech President Skeptical Of EU Army

On the other hand, Czech President Petr Pavel, a former chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, said that Europe should talk to Washington to strengthen NATO’s European pillar, which could be used for “purely European operations”.

However, he remains skeptical about the creation of an EU Army. Reacting to Zelensky’s proposal, he told journalists, “Such a project would take much longer and also require the unanimous approval of all member states.”