The EU’s future defense commissioner needs to be given sufficient funding to restore the bloc’s arms production capacity, Poland’s foreign minister has said.
Former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, who has been put forward as the EU’s first commissioner for defense and space, told MEPs that Europe needed to be ready to defend itself, not because of Donald Trump in Washington, but because of Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
At a Thursday press conference, however, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he hoped Trump’s return to the Oval Office would act as a stimulus for European defense spending.
“Elections have their consequences,” he said, adding that Europe could expect more straight talk and firmer positions on key issues.
Aked if a Trump presidency would have a sobering effect in terms of NATO members’ defense expenditures, Sikorski replied, “I hope so.”
The U.S. president elect has said Washington would not step in to protect members of the alliance that do not meet the defense spending requirement of 2% of GDP. Poland currently spends over 4% of GDP on defense – the highest proportion of any NATO member – and plans to increase that figure to 4.7% in 2025.
Sikorski went on to say the Trump administration would be a key rational for Europe to increase arms production spending.
“It will be one of the arguments we will use to persuade our European partners to, for example, take the new position of commissioner for defense and the arms industry deadly seriously,” Sikorski said.
The foreign minister said Kubilius needed to be given the financial wherewithal to restore Europe’s defense production capacity.
“It seems that in this respect there is a chance for more progress,” Sikorski said.
In his confirmation hearing, Kubilius told European Parliamentarians that the bloc would need to spend €10 billion by 2028 and as much as €200 billion over the coming decade in addition to a further €500 billion to develop and EU air defense shield.
"The way to convince Putin not to start another military campaign against EU member states is really to show that we're able to defend ourselves," Euronews quoted Kubilius as saying.
At a Thursday press conference, however, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he hoped Trump’s return to the Oval Office would act as a stimulus for European defense spending.
“Elections have their consequences,” he said, adding that Europe could expect more straight talk and firmer positions on key issues.
Aked if a Trump presidency would have a sobering effect in terms of NATO members’ defense expenditures, Sikorski replied, “I hope so.”
The U.S. president elect has said Washington would not step in to protect members of the alliance that do not meet the defense spending requirement of 2% of GDP. Poland currently spends over 4% of GDP on defense – the highest proportion of any NATO member – and plans to increase that figure to 4.7% in 2025.
Sikorski went on to say the Trump administration would be a key rational for Europe to increase arms production spending.
“It will be one of the arguments we will use to persuade our European partners to, for example, take the new position of commissioner for defense and the arms industry deadly seriously,” Sikorski said.
The foreign minister said Kubilius needed to be given the financial wherewithal to restore Europe’s defense production capacity.
“It seems that in this respect there is a chance for more progress,” Sikorski said.
In his confirmation hearing, Kubilius told European Parliamentarians that the bloc would need to spend €10 billion by 2028 and as much as €200 billion over the coming decade in addition to a further €500 billion to develop and EU air defense shield.
"The way to convince Putin not to start another military campaign against EU member states is really to show that we're able to defend ourselves," Euronews quoted Kubilius as saying.
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