Army commissioner declares EU armies extremely below NATO targets
(MENAFN) European NATO members currently operate at only half the military capacity required by the alliance, according to the EU’s top defense official. European Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius emphasized the urgent need to reduce reliance on U.S. weapon suppliers in order to lower the costs of military expansion.
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent claim that the EU committed to purchasing a “vast amount” of American military equipment under a new trade deal, Kubilius argued that Europe must instead increase spending on domestically produced arms. In an interview with Euractiv, he revealed that EU forces meet only 50% of NATO’s required strength levels. Although the share of military budgets spent on American-made weapons has decreased from 60% last year to 40% now, Kubilius said further reducing this dependency would keep more funds within the European defense industry.
He added that joint procurement among member states could lead to larger contracts and drive down production costs to about 70% of current levels.
Trump recently hailed a U.S.-EU trade agreement that he described as heavily favoring the U.S., including massive purchases of U.S. military gear, energy, and investments—all without reciprocal tariffs on American exports. White House adviser Sebastian Gorka called the deal a geopolitical victory, claiming Europe “bent the knee” to Trump, while many European critics labeled it a one-sided concession and “moral fiasco.”
Kubilius confirmed plans to launch a European Defense Union by autumn, potentially including Norway, the UK, and Ukraine. This initiative aims to prepare EU militaries to be “war-ready” by 2030. The European Commission has proposed allocating €131 billion for defense in the upcoming budget cycle and is promoting joint arms purchases through its SAFE loan initiative, which has already attracted €127 billion in requests from 18 countries.
The push for greater militarization is framed by Brussels as a necessary measure to deter Russian aggression. However, Moscow denies any hostile intentions toward the EU or NATO and accuses Western leaders of using fear tactics to distract from their own internal political and economic problems.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
