Proponents of the European army have not thought it through from a practical point of view – Kallas

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaya Kallas has expressed some skepticism about the idea of forming a separate European force from NATO. Her words are quoted by the British newspaper The Guardian.

"Those who say that we need a European army, maybe those people haven't really thought it through from a practical point of view, because as a prime minister, you know you have one army, you have one defense budget," Kallas said.

She added that the Allies can't create "a separate army from the one you already have." The EU's top diplomat emphasized that in times of crisis, the most important thing is the chain of command, i.e. who gives orders to whom.

"If you have a European army and then NATO, the ball is just going to go between the chairs, and that is extremely dangerous. That's why I say we have to strengthen European defense, which is also part of NATO and really complements NATO. Let's not throw NATO out the window," the official explained.

• On January 19, 2026, Politico wrote that Europe can create its own alliance instead of NATO without US participation, but with Ukraine. It could be created because of a "coalition of the willing."
• Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian army could become a fundamental contribution to European troops.
• On January 26, NATO Secretary General emphasized he said that the creation of a separate European army would "complicate the system of collective defense of Europe", which "would appeal to Putin".