In a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Zelenskiy said Europe could not rule out the possibility that "America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it" and noted many leaders had long spoken about how Europe needed a military.
"I really believe that time has come," he told the high-profile gathering of world leaders and foreign policy experts.
"The armed forces of Europe must be created."
Zelenskiy said "three years of full-scale war (with Russia) 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, Zelenskiy said his idea "wasn't about replacing the alliance".
"This is about making Europe's contribution to our partnership equal to America's," he said.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine would never accept any peace deals reached behind its back or without Kyiv's involvement - an implicit message to Trump as he strives to end the war with Russia.
"Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement and the same rule should apply to all of Europe," he said.
Zelenskiy spoke after Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, the first between US and Russian leaders since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He said he and Putin expected to meet in the future, probably in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants to come together with the US and Europe to devise a joint strategy before any Trump-Putin meeting.
The Trump administration so far has left the impression among some European allies that it was making concessions to Putin at Ukraine's expense before any negotiations begin, though remarks by some top US officials have raised confusion.
Zelenskiy predicted the Kremlin would try to persuade Trump to attend Russia's May 9 commemorations in Moscow, when it marks the Soviet victory in World War II with an annual military parade through Red Square.
Zelenskiy told the conference he believed it would be "dangerous" if Trump met Putin before he and Trump met.
To Europe's leaders, he issued warnings, asking rhetorically whether their armies would be ready if Moscow launched an open or "false-flag" attack - an attack designed to look like it was perpetrated by someone other than the group responsible.
"If this (Ukraine-Russia) war ends the wrong way, he (Putin) will have a surplus of battle-tested soldiers who know nothing but killing and looting," he said, citing intelligence reports saying Russia will dispatch its troops to Belarus this northern summer.
with AP
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