LAST UPDATE | 15 Feb

TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has said that there is “only one aggressor” in the war in Ukraine, “and that is Putin”. 

Harris was speaking to reporters in Munich today after a meeting with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister. He said that in the meeting, he had reiterated Ireland’s support for Ukraine as the war continues.

“We obviously have to see as part of any peace settlement or peace process, firstly, a willingness to engage in a peaceful manner which we’ve seen no evidence of that from Putin so far,” Harris said. He said that as well as the war occurring in Ukraine, “it’s actually also a war on Europe and European values and freedom”.

“If there’s a bad deal for Ukraine, I think that worsens global security and rewards aggression. We at a European level will continue to stand with and work with Ukraine,” he continued.

Harris added that US President Donald Trump has indicated his wish to see peace talks begin, and said that he is aware that members of the Trump administration will soon visit Ukraine.

Earlier at the Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the time has come for the creation of an “armed forces of Europe”, and says his country’s fight against Russia has proved that a foundation for it already exists.

The Ukrainian leader said Europe cannot rule out the possibility that “American might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it”, and noted that many leaders have long spoken about how Europe needs its own military.

“I really believe that time has come,” Zelensky told the Munich Security Conference.

“The armed forces of Europe must be created.”

Zelensky also alluded to a phone conversation between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin, after which Trump said the two leaders would likely meet soon to negotiate a peace deal over Ukraine.

Trump later assured Zelensky that he, too, would have a seat at the table to end the war that was sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement, and the same rule should apply to all of Europe,” Zelensky said.

“A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at the table. That says a lot,” he added.

“The old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had.”

Zelensky insisted that “three years of full-scale war have proven that we already have the foundation for a united European military force. And now, as we fight this war and lay the groundwork for peace and security, we must build the armed forces of Europe”.

Noting the presence of Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte in the audience, Zelensky said his idea “wasn’t about replacing the alliance. This is about making Europe’s contribution to our partnership equal to America’s”.

World leaders – including Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris – have gathered for high-profile conference in Munich Germany this weekend. The conference got off to a fractious start with an unprecedented speech by US vice-president JD Vance in which he took aim at Europe’s leaders, talking about the “threat from within”.

With reporting from Cormac Fitzgerald and Emma Hickey