Brussels hopes to reduce the bloc’s reliance on US arms, while President Trump expects otherwise
European NATO members’ armed forces are operating at just half the strength required by the bloc, the EU’s top defense official has warned, stressing the need to reduce dependence on US suppliers to drive down the costs of the military buildup.
Just days after US President Donald Trump claimed the bloc had committed to purchasing a “vast amount” of American weaponry under a new trade deal, European Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius argued that the EU must “spend more on European products.”
In an interview with Euractiv published on Tuesday, Kubilius said EU forces were “at 50% of what we need to have now, according to NATO’s targets.” He noted that around 40% of the bloc’s military budgets are still being spent on American-made arms, although that figure has decreased from 60% a year ago.
“Diminishing that number by 10% or 20% means a huge amount of money will stay in the European industry,” he said. “If member states pursue joint procurement, which means larger contracts, the average production price goes down to 70%.”
On Sunday, Trump touted a one-sided US-EU trade agreement, under which he claimed the EU would purchase “hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment,” as well as $750 billion in US energy and $600 billion in investment – all without reciprocal tariffs on American exports.
White House adviser Sebastian Gorka described the deal as a geopolitical triumph, claiming the EU had effectively “bent at the knee” before Trump. European critics have condemned the agreement as a one-sided “submission” and a “moral fiasco.”
Kubilius confirmed plans to launch what would be called the European Defense Union this autumn, which could include Norway, the UK, and Ukraine, and eventually provide a roadmap for making EU militaries “war-ready” by 2030. The Commission has also proposed €131 billion in defense spending for the next EU budget cycle and is promoting joint arms procurement under its SAFE loan initiative, which has already drawn €127 billion in requests from 18 countries.
The effort aligns with broader EU militarization plans, which Brussels argues are necessary to deter Russian aggression. Moscow denies harboring any hostile intent toward the EU or NATO and accuses Western leaders of using fear-driven rhetoric to distract citizens from internal political and economic challenges.
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