Washington (TDI): EU’s Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius is on a significant, his first since in office, visit to the United States to address Europe’s potential military shortfalls as the US is shifting its strategic focus more towards the Indo-Pacific region.
Also, this landmark visit comes as Trump is expected to announce a possible reduction in his military presence in Europe in the near future.
Europe still leans hard on the US for its security, a dependency that’s becoming uncomfortable as war in Ukraine continues and Russia shows no signs of backing off.
Kubulius, the driving force behind the EU’s push to bolster its defense industry through the ‘Re-arm Europe’ 2030 plan, is calling for a shift towards Europe that can be dependent on its own for its security.
During this visit, Kubulius is set to meet with the key players in the defense sector. He will also deliver the keynote address at the second annual defense night, hosted by the EU Delegation in the US.
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This event will be attended by officials, industry executives, and policy analysts with a focus on Ukraine.
The commissioner also highlighted intelligence reports indicating Russia’s intentions and preparations to test ‘article 5’ shortly noting that Russia’s current ammunition production in 3 months matches NATO’s annual ammunition production.
Moreover, Kubulius pointed to the rising awareness across Europe that it must assume greater responsibility for its security as the US focus is shifting more towards threat from China in the Indo-Pacific region.
Furthermore, the EU bloc’s defense chief highlighted the importance of strength against Russia in the wake of the diplomatic failure to solve the Ukraine issue with Putin. With that, he also noted the need for increase in military aid for Ukraine.
