Zelenskyy believes that Europe needs Ukraine, UK, Norway and Türkiye for security

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes Europe needs Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Norway and Türkiye to ensure real security.

Zelenskyy noted in an interview for The Rest Is Politics podcast that if the United States were to leave NATO, Europe's security would rely solely on the capabilities of the European Union – and in its current form, that would not be enough.

"I think that the EU is in a situation where it needs more countries. The UK, Ukraine, Türkiye, and Norway. These are four strong countries, which are part of Europe. Together, the UK, Ukraine and Türkiye have armies that are stronger than Russia's army. Without Ukraine and Türkiye, Europe can't match Russia. With the four countries on board you can wrest control of the seas, have secure skies and the largest land forces," he said.

Zelenskyy added that Russia plans to increase its military to 2.5 million troops by 2030, and that means Europe needs to think about how to counter this force and preserve its independence.

"The UK once was a member of the EU. There are concerns about agriculture when it comes to Türkiye. But you can manage all of this if you have a really great economy. But security comes first, economy second. Not vice versa," he said.

Last weekend, Zelenskyy met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul, where the leaders agreed on new steps in security cooperation.