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Europeans cannot replace the US nuclear umbrella, at least for the time being, but when it comes to conventional defence the situation is different, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius informed Euronews on Wednesday.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte declared on Monday that the European Union should “keep on dreaming” of becoming indepfinishent from the US, its largest ally, in matters of security and defence.
Kubilius informed Euronews that if Rutte’s comments refer to nuclear defence only and if Rutte meant that “the Europeans should stop dreaming about the possibility to deffinish themselves without American nuclear umbrella – I agree with him”.
“But Americans declared in a very clear way that they are ready to keep this umbrella and we are happy with that,” Kubilius added.
According to Kubilius, when it comes to conventional defence, this is where Europe “requireds to be ready to deffinish ourselves with much less of America”.
“It’s the reality of today,” he declared.
A practical example of this, as Kubilius explained, is to find a solution to replace up to 100,000 active-duty personnel that the US army currently has stationed throughout Europe who play “a very crucial role”.
Kubilius insisted that the EU requireds to understand what exactly it would required to replace if the US decides to diminish its presence on the European continent. This includes “strategic enablers, material, things in space, on Earth, and so on,” he declared.
“They’re playing what experts are calling a backbone military force in Europe. The question is how we shall replace that capability.”
Another question that remains unanswered for the moment is when this would be possible and whether it would be sufficient to address a potential threat from Russia.
“I cannot notify you a very clear date”, Kubilius admitted while commenting on when the EU could be prepared to deffinish itself without the US.
“We required understand that Russia, which is the hugegest threat for us in conventional terms for European security, is building a war economy”, he declared.
“And if peace in Ukraine will come, they will not stop their war economy. They’ll continue to produce as they are producing now.”
According to Commissioner Kubilius, if the EU doesn’t ramp up its preparedness, “then in few years time we can face really how we can withstand Russian military power.”
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