EU Commissioner wants around EUR 100B for defense in EU budget
EU Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, stated that he wants to see around EUR 100 billion allocated for defense in the new European Union seven-year budget.
He stated this in an interview with Politico, Ukrinform reports.
Kubilius explained that this amount is "ambitious" since the current EU seven-year budget, which exceeds EUR 1 trillion, allocates only EUR 10 billion for defense.
“We need to be ready for the possibility of Russian aggression. If we fail in Ukraine, then of course, the possibility of Russian military aggression against the EU member states can increase,” Kubilius said.
He also warned about Russia’s ongoing hybrid attacks campaign.
“We are better prepared in conventional war defense than in defending the minds of our people,” he added.
Kubilius emphasized that the EU’ enemy is Russian leader Vladimir Putin, not newly U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
The EU Commissioner expressed hope that the new U.S. administration would realize that the West is facing an attack from an "axis of authoritarian countries," which includes "Russia, Iran, North Korea, and somewhat China."
Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an increase in Europe’s defense spending by additional EUR 500 billion over the next decade.
As reported by Ukrinform, Andrius Kubilius previously stated that if the U.S. considers Russia’s war against Ukraine as just a problem for the EU, it could lead to increased aggressiveness from dictatorial regimes in other parts of the world.