EU Commissioner on EU security and relations with Americans

For a very long time we were dependent on the Americans in our defense. Now we are starting to understand that we should be responsible for European defense – said EU defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius in “Facts after Facts” on TVN24. He also said that the military development of China “requires more and more attention from the USA.”

Andrius Kubilius, the EU defense commissioner and the former Prime Minister of Lithuania, was a guest of “Facts after facts” on TVN24. In reference to Wednesday's conversation with General Wiesław Kukula, the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, who said that the intelligence data shows that Russia It can be ready to attack other countries by 2030, Kubilius was asked if his assessment is the same.

– Of course, I have my assessment, but very similar things were announced, for example, by the head of the German intelligence service. Recently, Denmark's interview said something very similar that Russia can be ready to test Article 5.NATO) before 2030, he replied. He added that this forecast is included in EU strategic analyzes.

Asked whether Europe will be ready by then, he recalled the words of the chairwoman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who said that “if we want to avoid war, we must be ready for it.” – So we are preparing very bright plans. We took the first steps. Recently, we approved the white book in the future of European defense and approved a very important document, the so -called Rearm Europe – reminded Litwin. He explained that it would be a financial instrument “which allows Member States to use many larger financial resources to increase their readiness to defend.”

“We should be responsible for European defense”

When asked if the goal in Europe is to be ready even without the presence of troops USA On the continent, Kubilius replied that he hopes that “we can avoid nervous movements when it comes to reducing American presence.” – For a very long time we were strongly dependent on the American role in our defense. Now we are starting to understand that we should be responsible for European defense – he emphasized. He supplemented that this would take time and expressed the hope that “we will find a way to reach rational agreements with the Americans in a long term.”

– We understand that there is a threat from Russia that we are now dealing with. On the other hand, the Chinese developing armed force requires more and more attention from the USA. That is why we can predict that Americans will be forced by this kind of development of accidents, devote much more attention and resources to Indo -Pacific – he said.

“For us it is very important that we have some kind of rational development of accidents, and not what I would call a chaotic, angry divorce,” noted Andrius Kubilius.

Ammunition production. This is not an “impossible problem”

Kubilius was also asked when we start producing more ammunition in Europe, considering that Russia produces several times more. “According to my information, we will be able to produce over two million ammunition at the end of this year,” he replied.

The EU Commissioner said that now “we are waiting for the goals that NATO will announce during the summit in June.” – NATO revises what is needed so that we are ready to defend ourselves against possible Russian aggression. They will give very clear guidelines how much we need to produce, what we need to buy to achieve the right ability – he explained.

– Of course, ammunition is one of those resources that we must increase when it comes to production. We definitely do it Ukraine He does the same thing, America does the same, so I don't think it is an impossible problem – assured the Commissioner.

EU Commissioner on “European Starlinek”

TVN24 guest assured that “we are ready” in case Elon Musk decided to disable the system Starlink in Ukraine. Recalling the “public exchange of sentences” between Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Musk on the X website, he said that “it was a chance for us to orientate in what we must do if we had to do it if it were to happen.”

Kubilius stipulated that “this is a sensitive information, whether it would be a certain possibility of replacing the” satellite system in Ukraine. He added, however, that we are developing our own abilities and recalled the Iris² system, which he called “European Starlinek”.

– It will be a very technologically advanced system. It will start operating in 2029, and earlier, from the middle of this year, we will have a different system – Govsatcom – a government satellite communication system that will combine existing assets that individual governments of the member states have – he explained.