A key NATO member warned that it would be a “really big mistake” for Europe to break away from the US defense industry.
European defense spending has risen sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and President Donald Trump has cast doubt on his commitment to NATO and Ukraine, prompting warnings that Europe has to prepare for America withdrawing support.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in March that “we must buy more” European weapons, and “that means creating an EU-wide market for defense equipment.”
Some countries have even said they were rethinking some of the most key types of US-made weaponry, like the F-35 fighter jet, even though there is no like-for-like replacement for the fifth-generation aircraft.
Kestutis Budrys, Lithuania’s foreign minister, said during the NATO summit on Tuesday that it would be a “really big mistake for Europe just to draw the line, to build defense” capabilities without US involvement, Breaking Defense reported.
He said there is “room enough for everyone, and I’m talking about our transatlantic relations on this specific element.”
Lithuania’s defense spending is among the highest of any NATO member as a proportion of its GDP, at an estimated 2.85% in 2024 according to NATO figures.
It’s one of the countries sounding the alarm that Europe needs to keep increasing its defenses, as Russia could attack beyond Ukraine.
Last month, former CIA director David Petraeus said Lithuania was the country he thought was most at risk of a Russian invasion.
Defense spending across Europe has soared since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
EU countries spent an estimated $379 billion on defense in 2024, a 30% rise from 2021, per official figures.
But many nations on the continent warn that shortfalls in manufacturing capacity mean that increased spending is not yet enough.
Many other European countries, including Lithuania, are still ordering defense equipment from the US.
The country already has many US-made weapons in its arsenal, and has placed orders for others like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System made by Lockheed Martin.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said in March that her country has signed off on $2 billion worth of business with US defense firms in the past three years.
US manufacturer Northrop Grumman announced on Tuesday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Lithuania to co-produce ammunition.
The UK said on Tuesday that it’s buying 12 F-35As, saying they will be used to carry nuclear weapons.
The Spanish subsidiary of US defense company Lockheed Martin signed a new agreement with the country’s defense ministry in May. Under the agreement, it will work with two Spanish companies on parts for its PAC-3 missiles, which are used by the Patriot air defense system.
On his way to the NATO summit, Trump raised doubts about his commitment to Article 5, which obliges members to come to each other’s defense, telling reporters on Air Force One there were “numerous definitions” of it.
Rutte later said the US president was “totally committed” to Article 5.
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