With Trump looming, European defense ministers want to invest in military equipment
Defense ministers from five big European countries called for continuing support for Ukraine as fears grow over the impact of Donald Trump.
What matters is not how much NATO countries spend on arms and ammunition — but rather how they spend it, German and French defense ministers said on Monday.
“Regardless of the [defense] budget rise to 2, 2.5 or 3 percent, we need to close the capabilities gaps, this is the most important thing,” Germany’s Boris Pistorius told reporters after hosting his counterparts from France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom in Berlin.
Fulfilling NATO’s capability requirements is going to require a boost in spending: “We’ll probably talk about more than 2 percent, everyone knows that,” he added.
Pistorius was hosting his counterparts in a new format that U.K. Defence Secretary John Healy dubbed “E5.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine plus years of badgering by the U.S. is having an impact.
France and Germany reached NATO’s spending target of at least 2 percent GDP this year, although Italy still falls short. The U.K. is over that threshold and Poland, at 4.1 percent of GDP, is the biggest spender in NATO.
There’s a growing consensus that the 2 percent target has to raised, even more so since Donald Trump was elected. A NATO top commander told POLITICO that 3 percent was likely to become the new bar.
Paris is “increasing its defense budget but the question is: How can we use that money in the most efficient way, to develop military capabilities?” said French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
He mentioned the European Long-range Strike Approach (ELSA) — which gathers the five countries present in Berlin plus Sweden to develop a new cruise missile — as an example of how Europeans are trying to close capability gaps.
All ministers insisted on the need to continue providing military assistance to Ukraine — Healy even called for “doubling” support.
“The five of us want to keep the [Ukraine Defense Contact Group] alive,” Pistorius said, referring to the U.S.-led grouping that organizes military aid for Kyiv. There are fears Washington will stop sending arms to Ukraine once Trump takes office.
Trump wasn’t mentioned by name but his presence was tangible as European countries are expected to scramble to ensure they remain in his good graces. “Europe will have to act ever more coordinated with overarching goals to be a good partner for the U.S.,” said Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Rixa Fürsen contributed reporting from Berlin.
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