European Commissioner of Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, said on Monday that he sees as a good sign the hardening of US President Donald Trump’s posture regarding Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, whom the American gave an ultimatum to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine.
“It is a positive evolution right now, especially since there are new opportunities to support Ukraine, which is under increased russian attacks on drones and missiles,” the top European employee told a news conference during a six -day official visit to the US.
Kubilius congratulated the agreement between the Trump government and NATO to continue the supply of weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot Anti -aircraft defense equipment, announced by the US representative on July 14.
Earlier, Trump had opted for a negotiating position with Putin, but last week changed his stance, frustrated with Putin’s refusal to stop the bombings against Ukraine, and threatened to impose “very severe tariffs” on Russia and secondary if a peace agreement with the neighbor is not closed within 50 days.
For Kubilius, “it’s positive that President Trump understood that Putin says one thing, but he does another,” and stated that this “perhaps Europe understood before, but it is a lesson that took time for Washington’s new government.”
“What will happen after these 50 days? I can’t predict. But I know one thing: the only thing Putin understands is strength, everything else he interprets as weakness,” he warned.
The Commissioner also highlighted the commitment of the European bloc to the defense of Kiev and stressed the beginning of the new EU approved millionaire loans, which will allow the Member and Associate States – such as Ukraine – request credits for joint acquisitions of military material.
He also stressed the reform to accelerate industrial licenses for defense and reduce the bureaucracy associated with these processes.
Kubilius emphasized the importance of prioritizing and developing their own strategic defense capabilities in the face of a possible reduction in American presence or support in the European space.
Among the reasons for the US trip is the dialogue with its American peers about the possible withdrawal.
“We are preparing to take responsibility for our own shoulders. We do not know what Americans will decide on maintaining or removing their troops, this is a decision that is up to them. Our responsibility is to be ready to take this role,” he told the press.
Kubilius has revealed that the EU is boosting important projects autonomously, including “new safe satellite communication systems and a new government observation system to obtain very high space accuracy data”.
“Anyway, our perspective does not change according to what Americans decide: we will continue to develop our abilities, and if Americans remain even better, we will be stronger,” he concluded.
