Europe must quickly prepare to compensate for a possible withdrawal of American military equipment and forces from the region, warned the European Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, in a speech delivered in Brussels in front of representatives of the defense industry and European institutions.
“America will move capabilities, especially equipment, to other regions of the world. And we must be prepared,” stated Kubilius, who emphasized that this development “could happen soon,” notes AFP, according to Agerpres.
The European official reminded that the United States has repeatedly conveyed, especially during the Donald Trump administration, that European allies will need to take on more responsibilities for the defense of the continent. According to him, Washington confirmed last week, during a NATO meeting of Defense Ministers, that it will carry out a reassessment of the American military presence in Europe over the next six months.
“Europe is heavily dependent today on strategic means (American) such as in-flight refueling or information obtained from space,” warned Kubilius, adding that without these capabilities, “we will be weaker in our defense, weaker in deterrence,” which could create the risk of Russia coming to “test” European response capabilities.
Regarding the costs necessary for strengthening European defense, the commissioner estimated that just the development of these strategic capabilities could reach approximately 500 billion euros.
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