We are facing the biggest security crisis of our time, EU Defense Commissioner Andrews Kubilius said today in a speech to participants in the annual meeting of the European Defense Agency in Brussels, BTA reported.
I am optimistic that this will make us stronger, he added. The EU Commissioner called for more defense decisions in Europe to be taken jointly, rather than at the national level. He recalled the idea from 2017 of French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel to create a European Defense Council to guide countries in the necessary changes.
The United States will reduce its military presence in Europe and for us this means that we must quickly become independent in the field of defense, Kubilius explained. According to him, this area needs huge investments and more clarity about the existing gaps.
The ongoing Russian strikes in Ukraine do not indicate that peace is near, the European Commissioner summarized.