Europe must prepare to meet Russia militarily in 6-8 years, says its new defence chief
The European Union must be quick to increase its defences as Russia may be ready for a confrontation in six to eight years, the nominee to be the EU’s first defence commissioner told Reuters in an interview.
Andrius Kubilius, a former prime minister of Lithuania, Russia’s neighbour, has been tapped to boost the continent’s arms industry, by getting EU countries spend more on European weapons and procure jointly – as well as by getting companies themselves to cooperate more across borders.
The new post reflects how security has risen to the top of the EU’s political agenda since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“Defence ministers and NATO generals agree that Vladimir Putin could be ready for confrontation with NATO and the EU in 6-8 years,” Kubilius, a fierce critic of Russia and a supporter of Ukraine, said on Wednesday.
“If we take these assessments seriously, then that is the time for us to properly prepare, and it is a short one. This means we have to take quick decisions, and ambitious decisions,” he said.
Kubilius said his first job as a commissioner would be to explore, jointly with EU top diplomat nominee Kaja Kallas, what resources the European Union needs to be ready for a military challenge. He is aiming to complete an exploratory study within the first 100 days.